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

In many places, part of the problem is that kids have underqualified teachers, who are underpaid and not respected by the community. —Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2014

But that mindset can lead to underqualified hires who lack the ability to manage the complexity and pace of executive-level demands. —Kenzie Biggins, Forbes.com, 5 May 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

As a result, some Syrian refugees have relied instead on underqualified doctors, self-medicated, or chosen to forego vital services altogether. —David Miliband, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2019

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