Underrewarded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Receiving less recognition or compensation than deserved for efforts or contributions
2. being inadequately rewarded in comparison to the value of one's work or achievements
3. experiencing a lack of appropriate remuneration or acknowledgment despite the level of input provided

Etymology: "Underrewarded" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "under-", meaning "below what is proper or sufficient," attached to "rewarded," the past participle of "reward." The prefix is old in English, inherited from Old English "under," and it has been used productively for centuries to make adjectives and verbs such as "underpaid," "underfed," and "understaffed." Because the prefix can be attached to almost any verb, new formations like this one appear whenever a writer needs to describe a shortfall. "Reward" itself has an interesting past. It entered English in the 13th century from Anglo-Norman and Old French "rewarder," meaning "to regard" or "to look after," from "re-" plus "garder," "to guard" or "to watch," which is also the source of "guard" and "ward." The original sense was closer to "to take notice of" than to "to pay someone for a favor," so a reward was once something like a return of attention. Over time the meaning narrowed to payment or recognition for service, and that narrowed sense is what "underrewarded" carries today.

Synonyms: underpaid, undervalued, undercompensated, unappreciated

Antonyms: overrewarded, overpaid, well-compensated, appreciated