under|play
/ʌ
ndə
r
ple
I
/ (underplays
, underplaying
, underplayed
) VERB
If you
underplay
something, you make it seem less important than it really is. [mainly BRIT
] □ [V
n]
under|popu|lat|ed
/ʌ
ndə
r
pɒ
pjʊle
I
t
I
d/ ADJ
You describe a country or region as
underpopulated
when it could support a much larger population than it has. □
under|privi|leged
/ʌ
ndə
r
pr
I
v
I
l
I
dʒd/ ADJ
[usu ADJ
n]
Underprivileged
people have less money and fewer possessions and opportunities than other people in their society. □
under|rate
/ʌ
ndə
r
re
I
t/ (underrates
, underrating
, underrated
) VERB
If you
underrate
someone or something, you do not recognize how clever, important, or significant they are. □ [V
n]
under|score /ʌ ndə r skɔː r / (underscores , underscoring , underscored )
1
VERB
If something such as an action or an event
underscores
another, it draws attention to the other thing and emphasizes its importance. [mainly AM
] □ [V
n]
under|sea
/ʌ
ndə
r
siː/ ADJ
[ADJ
n]
Undersea
things or activities exist or happen below the surface of the sea. □
u
nder-se
cretary
(under-secretaries
) also
undersecretary
N‑COUNT
An
under-secretary
is a senior official with an important post in a government department. □
under|shirt
/ʌ
ndə
r
ʃɜː
r
t/ (undershirts
) N‑COUNT
An
undershirt
is a piece of clothing that you wear on the top half of your body next to your skin in order to keep warm. [AM
] □
under|side
/ʌ
ndə
r
sa
I
d/ (undersides
) N‑COUNT
The
underside
of something is the part of it which normally faces towards the ground. □ [+
under|signed
/ʌ
ndə
r
sa
I
nd/ ADJ
[ADJ
n] On a legal document, the
undersigned
people are the ones who have signed their names at the bottom of the document. [LEGAL
] □