undersized
adjective
un·der·sized
ˌən-dər-ˈsīzd 
variants
or less commonly undersize
: of a size less than is common, proper, normal, or average
undersized trout
Synonyms
Examples of undersized in a Sentence
He is undersized for a basketball player.
though a football all-star in high school, he was just a mediocre, undersized player at the college level
Recent Examples on the Web
The poor shooting highlighted other glaring weaknesses in the Sky’s roster construction, including the lack of a committed point guard and an undersized paint presence.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023
O’Neal showed her a video of him stuffing himself into and driving the undersized car on New York City streets in 2019.
—Tommy Cummings, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023
That means Ya-Sin, who dealt with his own nagging injury during training camp, and recent addition Ronald Darby, who’s coming back from a torn ACL, will probably start on the outside for now, with undersized Ar’Darius Washington or former Pittsburgh Steelers starter Arthur Maulet in the slot.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 4 Sep. 2023
For Douglas, an undersized (5 feet 8 inches, 192 pounds) and often underrated player, securing a spot on the 53-man roster would represent the latest accomplishment in his football journey.
—Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
The Patriots don’t have the luxury of being able to release a player like that, even if Cunningham may be a bit undersized and raw as a quarterback.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023
The roof rafters were the correct size, but the center ridge board was very much undersized.
—Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite being undersized at 5 feet 8 and 180 pounds, Raymond has averaged 12.5 yards per catch in Detroit while playing both outside and in the slot.
—Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 11 Aug. 2023
At 5 feet 8 inches, Douglas is obviously undersized but he’s caught the vast majority of his targets from backup quarterback Bailey Zappe.
—Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2023
See More
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023
O’Neal showed her a video of him stuffing himself into and driving the undersized car on New York City streets in 2019.
—Tommy Cummings, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023
That means Ya-Sin, who dealt with his own nagging injury during training camp, and recent addition Ronald Darby, who’s coming back from a torn ACL, will probably start on the outside for now, with undersized Ar’Darius Washington or former Pittsburgh Steelers starter Arthur Maulet in the slot.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 4 Sep. 2023
For Douglas, an undersized (5 feet 8 inches, 192 pounds) and often underrated player, securing a spot on the 53-man roster would represent the latest accomplishment in his football journey.
—Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023
The Patriots don’t have the luxury of being able to release a player like that, even if Cunningham may be a bit undersized and raw as a quarterback.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023
The roof rafters were the correct size, but the center ridge board was very much undersized.
—Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
Despite being undersized at 5 feet 8 and 180 pounds, Raymond has averaged 12.5 yards per catch in Detroit while playing both outside and in the slot.
—Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 11 Aug. 2023
At 5 feet 8 inches, Douglas is obviously undersized but he’s caught the vast majority of his targets from backup quarterback Bailey Zappe.
—Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undersized.' 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
1706, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near undersized
Cite this Entry
“Undersized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undersized. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
undersized
adjective
un·der·sized
ˌən-dər-ˈsīzd
: smaller than is usual or standard
undersized fruit
More from Merriam-Webster on undersized
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share