understaffed

1. 1.

   inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.

   “they're rather short-handed at the moment”

   “overcrowded and understaffed hospitals”

   Synonymsshort-handedshort-staffedundermanned

   Similarinadequate

Questions about understaffed

What does understaffed mean?

understaffed means "inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.".

How many syllables are in understaffed?

understaffed has 3 syllables: under-staf-fed. The stress falls on "under". In IPA it is /ˈʌndɚˌstæft/.

What is another word for understaffed?

Close synonyms include short-handed, short-staffed, undermanned. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is understaffed a common word?

understaffed is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.