Underselecting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Choosing fewer options or candidates than the full available set, often resulting in a reduced selection
2. The act of selecting a smaller group than could be chosen from a larger pool
3. Limiting the number of selections made from a range of possibilities, typically fewer than might be allowed

Etymology: "Underselecting" is formed from the prefix "under-" and the verb "select," which comes from Latin "select(us)," the past participle of "seligere," meaning "to choose out" (from "se-," apart, plus "legere," to gather or pick). "Select" entered English in the 1600s, and "under-" is an old English prefix meaning "below" or "insufficiently," as in "undercook" or "underestimate." Because "under-" can attach to almost any verb, "underselecting" is a transparent, modern-style coinage rather than a word with its own traditional history. Its literal sense is simply "selecting too little," and it is mainly found in technical, statistical, and machine-learning writing, where it describes a model or sample that leaves out too many relevant options.

Synonyms: choosing less, neglecting, overlooking, omitting, ignoring

Antonyms: selecting, choosing, picking, including, highlighting