undersized

adjective

un·​der·​sized ˌən-dər-ˈsīzd 

variants or less commonly undersize

ˌən-dər-ˈsīz 

: of a size less than is common, proper, normal, or average

undersized trout

Synonyms

• bantam
• diminutive
• dinky
• dwarfish
• fine
• half-pint
• Lilliputian
• little
• pint-size
• pint-sized
• pocket
• pocket-size
• pocket-sized
• puny
• pygmy
• shrimpy
• slight
• small
• smallish
• subnormal
• toylike

Examples of undersized in a Sentence

He is undersized for a basketball player.

though a football all-star in high school, he was just a mediocre, undersized player at the college level

Recent Examples on the Web

Back in April, 2018, Gutekunst strayed from the Ron Wolf/Ted Thompson philosophy and took undersized cornerback Jaire Alexander. —Rob Reischel, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

About 20 Knights players – undersized at nearly every position against a full squad of about 60 St. Thomas players – were there for a chance to make big plays and record game film to show college recruiters. —Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

Who wants a sharp pry sticking them in the leg the whole hike, only to have its thin, weird, undersized knife come up short on the most basic of cutting tasks? —New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2024

Campbell remembers a freezing child who showed up for a shopping trip wearing basketball shorts, an undersized T-shirt and disposable flip-flops. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

undersized

adjective

un·​der·​sized ˌən-dər-ˈsīzd 

: smaller than is usual or standard

undersized fruit