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# underperforming

adjective and verb (underperform, underperforms, underperformed, underperforming)

«underperforming» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (jargon, euphemism) doing badly; not as good as expected or needed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#m1)
2. (finance) making less money than others. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#m2)

### In the lessons

Managers, schools, inspectors and business news use it to describe failure in calm, technical words, avoiding «bad» or «failing». Common in official reports in all English-speaking countries.

### Examples

- (school report) The inspectors named three underperforming schools. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x1)
- (office) He was told he was underperforming and could lose his job. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x2)
- (news) The shares are underperforming the market. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x3)
- (sport) The team has been underperforming all season. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x4)
- (teacher, kindly) You're underperforming in maths — let's find out why. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x5)
- (chat) my plants are underperforming lol [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/#x6)

### Note

Trap: it sounds neutral, but it can be a warning before someone is fired. «Under» + «perform». Opposite: outperforming.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «underperforming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underperforming/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«underperforming» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/underperforming.html) on Mova free.