underqualified

adjective

un·​der·​qual·​i·​fied ˌən-dər-ˈkwä-lə-ˌfīd 

: lacking sufficient qualifications (such as adequate education and experience) for a particular job, assignment, etc.

an underqualified candidate

… if entrants are greatly underqualified academically, new curricula will be required.

—Julian C. Stanley

Examples of underqualified in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Conversely, Trump may continue to appoint underqualified individuals to serve as IRS Commissioner, which can be particularly impactful if these individuals share his views on defunding the IRS. —Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Rattlers hiss at Johnson At Wednesday’s meeting, more than a dozen public speakers condemned Johnson as underqualified. —Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025

Those critics argue that the overhaul of the courts could give the governing party more power and open the door to underqualified or easily influenced candidates. —James Wagner, New York Times, 1 June 2025

Ever since Donald Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense, critics have called the former Fox News weekend host the most underqualified person to ever hold the position. —John Ficarra, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for underqualified

• acetaldehyde
• acetanilide
• arabinoside
• cycloheximide
• cyclophosphamide
• diethylamide
• dinucleotide
• ferricyanide
• ferrocyanide
• glutaraldehyde
• glyceraldehyde
• hydroperoxide