underexplain

U1N1D2E1R1E1X8P3L1A1I1N1

verb

To provide an insufficient explanation

Opposite
overexplain
OriginEnglish explain ← Middle English under- ← Old English under- →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

verbunderexplain (third-person singular simple present underexplains, present participle underexplaining, simple past and past participle underexplained)

present singular third person underexplains · participle present underexplaining · participle past underexplained · past underexplained

  1. To provide an insufficient explanation

    Then again, overexplaining is better than underexplaining.

    2009 January 4, Peter Keepnews, “A Love Supreme”, in New York Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
overexplain

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. Englishexplain
  13. Englishunderexplain

From under- + explain.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

underexplain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underexplain

MLA

“underexplain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underexplain. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “underexplain,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underexplain.

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