underrepresented

underrepresented — adjective

  • underrepresentedpositive
  • more underrepresentedcomparative
  • most underrepresentedsuperlative

1. describes a group whose members are present in much smaller numbers than would b

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a group whose members are present in much smaller numbers than would be fair or expected in a particular place or activity — for example, women in a company's top leadership, or a minority community in a university's student body.

例句

Women remain underrepresented in engineering departments at most Japanese universities.

be + underrepresented + in + [place/organisation]

The scholarship programme targets students from underrepresented rural communities in northern Ghana.

attributive: underrepresented + noun

同義詞
  • marginalised

    broader — includes social exclusion beyond just low numbers

  • disadvantaged

    focuses on lack of resources rather than proportional numbers

  • under-served

    used for communities that receive inadequate services, not just low representation

反義詞

文法句型

underrepresented + noun / be + underrepresented + in + noun

用法筆記

Commonly followed by 'in' to specify the setting where a group is underrepresented. Frequently used in discussions of social equity, education policy, and workplace diversity.

常見錯誤

❌The city council is underrepresented of women.
✅Women are underrepresented on the city council.
💡'underrepresented' describes the group that is missing, not the organisation, and takes 'in/on/among', not 'of'.
❌Underrepresented groups means groups that are very small.
✅Underrepresented groups are groups whose numbers are lower than the general population's share.
💡'underrepresented' is about fair proportion, not absolute size.