underwhelm

un·der·whelm

U u

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [uhn-der-hwelm, -welm]
- /ˌʌn dərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlm/
- /ˌʌndəwˈelm/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uhn-der-hwelm, -welm]
- /ˌʌn dərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlm/

Definitions of underwhelm word

verb with object underwhelm to fail to interest or astonish: After all the ballyhoo, most critics were underwhelmed by the movie. 1
transitive verb underwhelm fail to impress 1
verb underwhelm to make no positive impact or impression on; disappoint 0
verb transitive underwhelm to fail to make a good impression or have a significant impact on 0

See all 4 definitions of underwhelm

Information block about the term

Origin of underwhelm

First appearance:

before 1945

One of the 6% newest English words

First recorded in 1945-50; under- + (over)whelm

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Underwhelm

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Underwhelm

underwhelm popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 34% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 68% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

underwhelm usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for underwhelm

adjective underwhelm

baffle — If something baffles you, you cannot understand it or explain it.
balk — If you balk at something, you definitely do not want to do it or to let it happen.
baulk — the space, usually 29 inches deep, between the baulk line and the bottom cushion
confound — If someone or something confounds you, they make you feel surprised or confused, often by showing you that your opinions or expectations of them were wrong.
depress — If someone or something depresses you, they make you feel sad and disappointed.

All 9 Synonyms of underwhelm

Antonyms for underwhelm

verb underwhelm

cast down — If someone is cast down by something, they are sad or worried because of it.
cave in — If something such as a roof or a ceiling caves in, it collapses inwards.
deluge — A deluge of things is a large number of them which arrive or happen at the same time.
drown — to die under water or other liquid of suffocation.
fall over — person: trip or slip

All 20 Antonyms of underwhelm