Standard Lemma guide

underemployed

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH1 N D ER0 IH0 M P L OY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Employed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I found myself underemployed when the company downgraded me from full-time to part-time.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

employed only part-time when one needs full-time employment or not making full use of your skills

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • migrants are likely to be poor and underemployed
  • able people are kept underemployed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1én Proto-Indo-European *h1entér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dhí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dhér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English employed English underemployed From under- + employed.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: vajaatyöllistetty — employed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
  • German: unterbeschäftigt — employed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
  • Portuguese: subempregado — employed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired
  • Spanish: subempleado — employed in a job that offers fewer work hours than desired