underrate

verb

un·​der·​rate ˌən-dər-ˈrāt How to pronounce underrate (audio)
ˌən-də-
underrated; underrating; underrates

transitive verb

: to rate or value (something or someone) too low : undervalue
His off-the-cuff improvisations, his airy tendency to throw out half-baked ideas, caused others to underrate his continuity of purpose …Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
As I watched the film for the first time …, it seemed to me that its effect was to exploit innocence and violence in ways that overrate the power of the first and underrate the complexity of the second …Vincent Canby
see also underrated

Examples of underrate in a Sentence

She underrated her student's ability. it's perhaps the most underrated film of the last decade
Recent Examples on the Web Oldenburg likes to ask which player on their team is underrated. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023 Sour cream is a magical (and seriously underrated, in my opinion) dairy staple. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2023 Some might be underrated in the Top 100 or were left out despite having great seasons on the field. Greg Riddle, Dallas News, 11 July 2023 That failure went right to the top: during his presidency, Eisenhower consistently underrated Mao and overrated Chiang. Jane Perlez, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023 The Emmy-winning O’Hara was honored with the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award at the festival, in recognition of her long, and often underrated, career in film, TV, stage and sketch comedy. Carla Renata, Variety, 26 Feb. 2023 However, Samoa is seriously underrated. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 30 Mar. 2023 And yet she’s been underrated as an artist, with many folks focusing on her athletic, ass-kicking abilities at the expense of acknowledging her incredible acting chops. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2023 Seasoning is underrated in Hollywood, whose executives obsess over how to capture the eyes of younger viewers. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of underrate was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near underrate

Cite this Entry

“Underrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underrate. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

underrate

verb
un·​der·​rate ˌən-də(r)-ˈrāt How to pronounce underrate (audio)
: to rate too low : undervalue

More from Merriam-Webster on underrate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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