Underremunerates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide insufficient payment for work or services rendered, thereby compensating less than the fair or expected amount; to pay below the appropriate financial rate for labor
2. To compensate someone inadequately for their efforts or services, offering an amount less than what is deserved or standard; to underpay in terms of monetary reward for work done
3. To offer financial recompense that is deficient in value relative to the service provided, remunerating at a rate that fails to meet reasonable expectations or norms; to pay less than proper remuneration for tasks completed

Etymology: "Underremunerate" is formed in English from the prefix "under-", meaning "insufficiently" or "below the proper level," attached to "remunerate." That verb comes from Latin "remunerari," meaning "to reward in return," built from "re-" (back) and "munerari," from "munus," a gift, duty or service. The Latin root thus carries the sense of a gift given in return for something done, which is still present in the modern meaning. "Remunerate" entered English in the early 1500s, and the "under-" compound is a later formation built on it, typical of English's habit of attaching "under-" to verbs to mark something done too little or too cheaply. The compound describes payment that falls short of what the work deserves, a meaning that depends entirely on the older idea of a fitting return.

Synonyms: underpays, undervalues

Antonyms: overpays, fairly remunerates