Undercommunicating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To convey information in a manner that fails to fully express its intended message
2. To communicate insufficiently or inadequately, often leading to misunderstandings in conversation
3. To relay information in a way that lacks clarity or completeness, thus not meeting the needs of the audience

Etymology: "Undercommunicating" is simply "undercommunicate" with the present participle ending "-ing" added. The verb itself is formed from the prefix "under-", meaning insufficiently or too little, attached to "communicate", which comes from the Latin "communicare", to share or impart, itself rooted in "communis", common. Put together, the verb describes doing the sharing of information or feeling at too low a level, so that others are left with less than they need. The pattern is a productive one in English. "Under-" has long been used to form verbs such as "underestimate" and "underfund", and speakers can apply it to almost any verb when a shortfall needs naming. Because "undercommunicate" is a transparent combination of two familiar parts, its meaning follows directly from them with no specialised sense to learn.

Synonyms: miscommunicating