underfunded
un-der-FUN-did
/ˌʌndərˈfʌndɪd/
Provided with insufficient financial capital or monetary resources to function effectively.
Directly links inadequate performance or decaying infrastructure to financial deficits.
The story behind the word. Combines 'under' with 'fund' (from Latin 'fundus', meaning base or bottom). The financial meaning of 'fund' developed in the 17th century to describe a base stock of money supporting enterprise.
Word relationships
- under-resourced: Under-resourced includes non-financial assets like staffing and materials; underfunded specifically highlights money.
- cash-strapped: Cash-strapped is informal, whereas underfunded is standard in financial and policy discussions.
- well-funded: Supplied with generous financial capital.
Commonly confused with
- unfunded: Unfunded means receiving no money at all; underfunded means receiving money, but not enough.
Word family
- underfunding (noun): The state or act of providing inadequate funding.
Collocations
- chronically underfunded
- severely underfunded
- underfunded school district
Idioms & expressions
- operating on a shoestring budget
Example sentences
- "Teachers in chronically underfunded schools often spend hundreds of dollars of their personal savings on basic classroom supplies." Local news report on public schools
Memory hook
UNDER (below) + FUNDED (financed) = financed below necessary levels. Financed below need.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a lack of non-monetary resources like time or emotional support.
Fun facts
- In public finance, 'underfunded pension plans' represent one of the largest long-term liabilities for local governments.
Related words
Explore more words
underserved, underprivileged, deficiency, undernourished, deprived, substandard
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