Meanings
adjectiveunderemployed (not comparable)
- not comparableEmployed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired.
I found myself underemployed when the company downgraded me from full-time to part-time.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveemployed only part-time when one needs full-time employment or not making full use of your skills
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁entér
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂én
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰí
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰér
- Proto-Germanic*under
- Proto-West Germanic*undar
- Old Englishunder-
- Middle Englishunder-
- Englishunder-
- Englishemployed
- Englishunderemployed
Translations
Finnish vajaatyöllistetty
- vajaatyöllistettyemployed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
German unterbeschäftigt
- unterbeschäftigtemployed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
Portuguese subempregado
- subempregadoemployed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
Spanish subempleado
- subempleadoemployed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
Cite this entry
APA
underemployed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underemployed
MLA
“underemployed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underemployed. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “underemployed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underemployed.
Source: underemployed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.