underrate
verb
un·der·rate
ˌən-dər-ˈrāt 
ˌən-də-
underrated; underrating; underrates
: 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.
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
Vincent Canby
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
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
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.
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Kids Definition
underrate
verb
un·der·rate
ˌən-də(r)-ˈrāt
: to rate too low : undervalue
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