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

According to Silva, some unlicensed or underqualified clinics in South Florida will attract patients with lower prices. — Ella Moore july 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026

Officers and supervisors hired prior to 2025 claimed that new recruits being put on the street are underqualified and, in some cases, have not completed mandatory federal government background checks or been issued security clearances. — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026

Florida landed in the bottom five states for all three categories, is the lowest for adjusted teacher salaries, and, as covered by the next category, has the highest percentage of underqualified teachers. — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026

Students in these high-needs schools — many of whom are historically underserved Black and Latino students — are twice as likely to be taught by underqualified teachers compared with those in the highest-income schools. — Valentyna Banner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

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