underkill

[ uhn-der-kil ]

noun

1. insufficient capacity to defeat or destroy an enemy, especially using nuclear force.

Word History and Origins

Origin of underkill¹

First recorded in 1960–65; patterned after overkill ( def )

Example Sentences

Noting that "our legal tradition has special repugnance toward prior restraint," Harvard's Paul A. Freund maintained that "risk for risk, the law has opted for underkill in duels over publication."

From Time Magazine Archive