underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

1

: a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest

… the biggest obstacle has been the adjustment from underdog last season to contender …

—Mike Wise

2

: a victim of injustice or persecution

… portrayed himself as an honest underdog that the Government would do anything to stop.

—Michael Specter

Examples of underdog in a Sentence

I always root for the underdog instead of the favorite.

As a lawyer, she consistently represented the underdog.

Recent Examples on the Web

Supporters of Becerra’s approach argue that a front-runner has no obligation to grant an underdog multiple prime-time platforms, especially when those events can be used to repackage partisan attacks already aired during the primary. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

In July, Crow-Armstrong went from a substantial underdog to a small one. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Angie Nixon, 42, a firebrand state representative from Jacksonville and member of the Democratic Socialists of America group, went from underdog status to national headlines overnight. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

For the first time in decades, the outside world views Aledo as an underdog. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for underdog

• analog
• analogue
• catalogue
• decalogue
• demagogue
• dialogue
• epilogue
• homologue
• monologue
• pedagogue
• synagogue
• tagalog

Kids Definition

underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

: the loser or predicted loser in a struggle