underachiever

noun

un·​der·​achiev·​er ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchē-vər How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
Synonyms of underachievernext
: one (such as a student) that fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected
underachieve
ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchēv How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
intransitive verb
underachievement
ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchēv-mənt How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
noun

Examples of underachiever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And he is viewed as an underachiever. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026 Mexico are up there with the great World Cup underachievers. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 1 June 2026 As a chef’s kiss, Manning plays for Texas, a yearslong egocentric underachiever that plenty of college football fans love to hate. — Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2025 To me, an underachiever in this sense would be franchises who have seen a ton of talent through multiple eras come through their doors while never winning anything of significance. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for underachiever

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of underachiever was in 1952

Rhymes for underachiever

See All Rhymes for underachiever

Browse Nearby Words

under
underachiever
under a cloud of suspicion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underachiever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underachiever. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

underachiever

noun
un·​der·​achiev·​er ˌən-də-rə-ˈchē-vər How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
: one (as a student) that fails to do as well as expected

Medical Definition

underachiever

noun
un·​der·​achiev·​er ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchē-vər How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
: a person (as a student) who fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected
underachieve
-ˈchēv
intransitive verb
underachieved; underachieving
underachievement
-mənt How to pronounce underachiever (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on underachiever

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for underachiever

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All