underdress

U1N1D2E1R1D2R1E1S1S1

verb

To dress in insufficiently warm clothes.

Similar
dress down
Opposite
overdress
OriginEnglish dress ← Middle English dressen ← Old English under- →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

verbunderdress (third-person singular simple present underdresses, present participle underdressing, simple past and past participle underdressed)

present singular third person underdresses · participle present underdressing · participle past underdressed · past underdressed

  1. intransitivetransitiveTo dress in insufficiently warm clothes.
  2. intransitivetransitiveTo dress in insufficiently formal clothes.
noununderdress (countable and uncountable, plural underdresses)

plural underdresses

  1. countableAny dress (feminine-style garment) worn under another, especially under an overdress.
  2. countableuncountableAny garment (any clothing) that is worn under another but is not underwear.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
overdress
Opposite
overdress

verbdress without sufficient warmth

Opposite
overdress
Broader
dressclotheenclothe

verbdress informally and casually

Similar
dress down
Opposite
overdress
Broader
dressget dressed
Also see
dress downinnerwearunderwear

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁entér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂én
  4. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  5. Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰí
  6. Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰér
  7. Proto-Germanic*under
  8. Proto-West Germanic*undar
  9. Old Englishunder-
  10. Middle Englishunder-
  11. Englishunder-
  12. Middle Englishdressen
  13. Englishdress
  14. Englishunderdress

From under- + dress.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

underdress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underdress

MLA

“underdress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underdress. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “underdress,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underdress.

Source: underdress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.