underresponse
Not enough reply
An underresponse is a reaction that falls short of what the situation warrants—insufficiently strong, urgent, or extensive.
The term appears in medical, psychological, and policy contexts: Critics called the government's underresponse to the outbreak negligent.
An underresponse to pain means diminished sensitivity; an underresponse to a crisis means inadequate action.
Lack of interest
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- unconcernAbsence of worry
- passivityState of non-resistance
- dispassionFreedom from emotional bias
unresponsiveness · numbness · lethargy · listlessness · torpor · impassivity · coldness · aloofness
Mildly warm, lacking intensity
- underwhelmingFailing to meet expectations
- unimpressiveFailing to inspire admiration
- flatLacking vertical variation
- mutedMade quieter or softer
halfhearted · perfunctory · lukewarm · anemic · feeble · weak · limp · pallid
Held under control
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
- subduedReduced in intensity
- measuredCarefully considered, unhurried
- conservativeCautious about altering customs
spare · modest · limited · tempered · cautious · reserved · controlled · proportionate
indifference
Lack of interest
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- unconcernAbsence of worry
- passivityState of non-resistance
dispassion · unresponsiveness · numbness · lethargy · listlessness · torpor · impassivity · coldness · aloofness · disengagement
tepid
Mildly warm, lacking intensity
- underwhelmingFailing to meet expectations
- unimpressiveFailing to inspire admiration
- flatLacking vertical variation
muted · halfhearted · perfunctory · lukewarm · anemic · feeble · weak · limp · pallid · token
restrained
Held under control
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
- subduedReduced in intensity
- measuredCarefully considered, unhurried
conservative · spare · modest · limited · tempered · cautious · reserved · controlled · proportionate · calibrated
underresponseoverreaction
Disproportionate emotional response
disproportionate response · overreacting · exaggerated response · overkill · hypersensitivity
under, response, respond, responds, responded, responding, respondent, respondents, responsive