How to Use underwhelm in a Sentence

underwhelm

verb
  • That’s a big deal for a team that tends to underwhelm in the halfcourt.
    — SI.com, 7 Feb. 2018
  • That may underwhelm you, but the blame mostly lies with G-Sync.
    — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, 14 May 2019
  • Kevin Knox, a young star who underwhelmed last year and has much to prove, will also be suiting up.
    — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, 5 July 2019
  • Blount has underwhelmed this summer with nine carries for 17 yards.
    — Zach Berman, Philly.com, 18 Aug. 2017
  • Some of the big names who did race have underwhelmed — or found themselves in awkward circumstances.
    — Eddie Pells, The Seattle Times, 11 Aug. 2017
  • The Czech visitors held firm against Barça, who underwhelmed on the night.
    — SI.com, 6 Nov. 2019
  • Spain has underwhelmed at this tournament so far and progressed from the group stage with one victory and two draws.
    — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 28 June 2018
  • Yet, some members of the business community have been underwhelmed by the scope of the bills.
    — Tony Cook, Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2018
  • The gift might underwhelm someone who is used to the finer things in life and wants some luxury in their holidays.
    — Katie Melynn, Peoplemag, 2 Dec. 2022
  • Those numbers may underwhelm, as even a single physical qubit has a lower error rate.
    — Byadrian Cho, science.org, 22 Feb. 2023
  • Domino's sales also underwhelmed Wall Street investors in the first quarter of the year.
    — Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 16 July 2019
  • The results will surely underwhelm.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • But the size of the stimulus is likely to be weaker this time too, so the eventual boost to demand may also underwhelm.
    — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 25 July 2018
  • Most of it is that underwhelming yet serviceable kind of TV nobody ever talks about.
    — Hank Stuever, chicagotribune.com, 16 Mar. 2018
  • The governors have publicly protested their states’ goals, deeming them underwhelming at best and at worst unjust.
    — Erica L. Green, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2018
  • But investors have been underwhelmed by the company’s outlook, with the shares falling about 11 percent in the past year.
    — Craig Giammona, Bloomberg.com, 4 June 2018
  • Yes, there are teams that constantly underwhelm, but the teams that remain talented and in purgatory hell might be worse off.
    — James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Despite these hangups that have caused 5G to underwhelm thus far, the networks are expected to continue to ramp up.
    — Aj Dellinger, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
  • That being said, Marquese Chriss has underwhelmed and Knox should be able to play either forward spot.
    — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, 7 Mar. 2018
  • If that team instead underwhelms for a while, the natural tendency is to embellish the peril.
    — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2018
  • Happening right now — and peaking this week — the fastest and brightest meteor shower of the year will likely underwhelm.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Left guard Brady Christensen, who missed all but one game last season, could be an option, even if that might underwhelm onlookers.
    — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Feb. 2024
  • But the execution of that attempt has sometimes underwhelmed Ross.
    — Armando Salguero, miamiherald, 8 May 2018
  • Until that happens, Red Bulls-Galaxy matchups will underwhelm.
    — Jack Williams, New York Times, 15 May 2017
  • And Anfernee Simons, who figures to see more time now, continues to underwhelm on both ends.
    — oregonlive, 21 Jan. 2021
  • China’s emissions-reduction plan could also be announced any day but may underwhelm on ambition, climate sources said.
    — Simon Jessop, Reuters, 21 Sep. 2025
  • For anyone familiar with the strides made in football video games in recent years, the surface-level realism of the graphics might well underwhelm.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • As an example, Zoho's support (which is mostly out of India) never fails to underwhelm me and my clients.
    — Gene Marks, Forbes, 5 July 2021
  • But since making his major league debut in 2014, Montero has underwhelmed.
    — Seth Berkman, New York Times, 6 May 2017
  • So a 10-point, 39-game rookie season was always going to underwhelm for a player drafted there.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underwhelm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: