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Underdog vs Underrated - What's the difference?

underdog | underrated |

As a noun underdog

is a competitor thought unlikely to win.

As an adjective underrated is

not given enough recognition for its quality.

As a verb underrated is

past tense of underrate.

underdog

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A competitor thought unlikely to win.
  • * 2004: The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.40
    • In Athens, the Americans are underdogs to the Chinese and the Canadians
  • * 2014 , Jacob Steinberg, " Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian , 9 March 2014:
    • The visit of a Championship side would not normally send a shiver down their spine but they knew that Wigan were underdogs who would snap at their heels and that they possessed a potent bite if they were not kept on a firm leash.
  • Somebody at a disadvantage.
  • A high swing wherein the person pushing the swing runs beneath the swing while the person being pushed is at the forward limit of the arc.

    • Antonyms

    * favourite, favorite * sure bet * safe bet * top dog

    See also

    * also-ran

    Anagrams

    * *

    underrated

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Not given enough recognition for its quality
  • * 2014 , , " Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian , 18 October 2014:
    • Koeman identified Southampton’s third as their finest goal of the game. Jack Cork, the most underrated player at a much-lauded club, swept the ball out wide to Tadic, who waited for Cork to run to the back post before chipping the ball across to him to slam in a deserved goal from close range, despite an attempted block by Vito Mannone.

    Antonyms

    * overrated

    Verb

    (head)
  • (underrate)