understaffed

American  

[uhn-der-staft, -stahft] / ˌʌn dərˈstæft, -ˈstɑft /

adjective

1. having an insufficient number of personnel.

   The hospital is understaffed.

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understaffed British  

/ ˌʌndəˈstɑːft /

adjective

1. not having enough staff

   her department is understaffed

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Etymology

Origin of understaffed

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

Example Sentences

Across the United States, major airports have been inundated by flight disruptions, security lines spilling out of terminals, air traffic control outages, and overworked and understaffed employees struggling to keep it all running.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026

Hsieh said the offices responsible for managing the shelters are understaffed and would be overwhelmed in a war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

He said the county has made some strides in the right direction, including hiring more people and adding positions to a severely understaffed department, but it’s not enough.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

For fans, the security funding that’s stuck in limbo could mean the difference between a smoothly run tournament and a chaotic, understaffed event where security lines stretch for miles.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

They don’t command the resources or attention that hospitals do, and often they’re severely understaffed, leaving such places barely equipped to deal with a normal day, much less a crisis.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman