underdo

Not do enough

Underdo means to do something insufficiently or inadequately—the opposite of overdo.

If you underdo a steak, you don't cook it long enough; if you underdo your preparation for an exam, you haven't studied enough.

The word appears most often in its past participle form: The roast was underdone and practically raw in the middle.

While overdo is common, underdo remains relatively rare, perhaps because English already has plenty of words for falling short.

effort

halfhearted

Lacking sincere commitment

minimal · weak · cursory · perfunctory · token · meager · scant · feeble · negligent · slack

cooking

undercooked

Insufficiently heated through

  • rawIn original state
  • rareSeldom found or seen
  • pinkPale red hue

seared · bleu · crunchy · chewy · moist · juicy · firm · tartare · sashimi · ceviche

baking

doughy

Soft like raw bread

gummy · underbaked · wet · mushy · sticky · sunken · collapsed · dense · pasty · unbaked

Opposites
degree of effort or action

underdooverdo

Exceed reasonable limits

overexert · overwork · go overboard · exceed · overextend

cooking completeness

underdoovercook

Cook beyond readiness

overdo · burn · char · overdone · scorch

Phrases
Family

under, undercook, underdone, underdid, underdoing

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G