To underrate something means to think it's less valuable, important, or impressive than it actually is. When people underrate a movie, they don't give it enough credit for being good. When scouts underrate an athlete, they miss how talented that person really is.

You might underrate a book because its cover looks boring, only to discover it's one of the best stories you've ever read. Teachers sometimes worry that students underrate the importance of learning history, not realizing how much it helps them understand the present. A chess player might underrate an opponent who seems quiet and unsure, then lose because that opponent is actually quite skilled.

The opposite is overrate, which means thinking something is better than it really is. People often underrate things they don't know much about yet. A student might underrate geometry class before discovering how satisfying it feels to solve proofs, or underrate a teammate's abilities until seeing them perform under pressure.

Being underrated can sometimes work in your favor. An underrated competitor surprises everyone by winning because no one saw them coming. But underrating your own abilities can hold you back from trying new challenges where you might actually succeed.