underdog

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Noun

underdog (plural underdogs)

1. A competitor thought unlikely to win.
   • 2004: The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.40

     In Athens, the Americans are underdogs to the Chinese and the Canadians (the Canadians!)

   • 2014, Jacob Steinberg, "Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals ↗", The Guardian, 9 March 2014:

     The visit of a Championship side would not normally send a shiver down their spine but they knew that Wigan were underdogs who would snap at their heels and that they possessed a potent bite if they were not kept on a firm leash.

   Synonyms: little guy
2. Somebody at a disadvantage.
3. A high swing wherein the person pushing the swing runs beneath the swing while the person being pushed is at the forward limit of the arc.

Antonyms

• favourite, favorite
• sure bet
• safe bet
• top dog

Translations

• French: outsider
• German: Außenseiter, Underdog
• Italian: perdente, outsider
• Portuguese: azarão
• Russian: аутса́йдер
• Spanish: tapado (Argentina), cenicienta

Translations

• Italian: oppresso

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