underrated

1 of 2

adjective

un·​der·​rat·​ed ˌən-dər-ˈrā-təd How to pronounce underrated (audio)
ˌən-də-
Synonyms of underratednext
: rated or valued too low
an underrated movie/book
… Francis, surely the most underrated player in the league, led the improbable comeback.—E. M. Swift
Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot, is a very underrated 1976 comedy-thriller about a phony psychic's accidental involvement with jewel thieves.—Joe Leydon

underrated

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of underrate

Examples of underrated 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.
Adjective
See top recruits, productive returners, underrated gems and more. — Charles Baggarly august 26, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026 Three Fall Must-Dos Cruise one of the most underrated fall drives in the US—the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, encompassing winding Needles Highway in Custer State Park and Iron Mountain Road, famous for its 300-plus hairpin turns. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 David Ubben analyzed the poll and picked overrated and underrated teams. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 This figures to be an underrated Week 2 game across college football. — Pj Green august 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underrated

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of underrated was in 1778

Rhymes for underrated

See All Rhymes for underrated

Browse Nearby Words

underrate
underrated
underreach
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underrated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underrated. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on underrated

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for underrated

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All