underachieving

ADJECTIVE

lazy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

apathetic careless dull inattentive indifferent lackadaisical lethargic passive sleepy tired weary

WEAK

asleep on the job comatose dallying dilatory drowsy flagging idle indolent inert laggard lagging languid languorous lifeless loafing neglectful out of it procrastinating remiss shiftless slack slothful slow slow-moving snoozy somnolent supine tardy torpid trifling unconcerned unenergetic unindustrious unpersevering unready

Antonyms

STRONGEST

activated active attentive careful caring concerned energetic fresh interested lively vivacious

WEAK

diligent hard-working industrious

ADJECTIVE

failing

Synonyms

STRONG

declining defeated faint scant scanty short shy wanting

WEAK

deficient feeble inadequate insufficient scarce unavailing unprosperous unsuccessful unsufficient unthriving vain

Antonyms

STRONG

adequate enough sufficient

WEAK

OK healthy rebounding strong thriving well

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

underachieving

"I've been looking into the statistics and, in recent years, white working class boys have been underachieving versus other demographic groups, whether that's in education, employment or poorer health outcomes", Dewhirst said.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Mark: Did you think that they'd been underachieving as a group?

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

And when describing her underachieving brother’s shortcomings, she says, “He’s got the brains of a dung beetle and the ambitions of a French bureaucrat.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

When she was first hired in August 2023, Cohen inherited an unstable department on its way to a new conference with an underachieving football program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025

As if Ethan—world’s most underachieving online creeper—had anything to do with this breakthrough.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera