understaffed

[ uhn-der-staft, -stahft ]

adjective

1. having an insufficient number of personnel:

   The hospital is understaffed.

understaffed

/ ˌʌndəˈstɑːft /

adjective

1. not having enough staff

   her department is understaffed

Word History and Origins

Origin of understaffed¹

First recorded in 1890–95; under- + staff ¹ + -ed ³

Example Sentences

In the single, Sam sings about promising to get Annie out of the care home where she died, which he describes as "falling to bits and understaffed".

From BBC

At the same time, she said, a flood of import records to follow up on could overwhelm the department, which is understaffed as it is.

From Los Angeles Times

And he warned that officers are more likely to make lethal mistakes if the department is severely understaffed.

From Los Angeles Times

Prof Ranger said nurses "do not feel valued", adding they were concerned by "understaffed shifts, poor patient care and nursing careers trapped at the lowest pay grades".

From BBC

The widening gap in pay is already producing dire consequences for education as a whole, with decreasing rates of retention and recruitment straining already understaffed schools and overworked teachers.

From Salon