An underachiever is a person who does less well than their ability suggests they could. Teachers use it about the clever student whose homework never arrives, and it carries a particular flavour: not stupid, not incapable, just not delivering.

An underachiever is a personunderachiever是一種人，who does less well than their ability suggests they could表現比他實際能力應該做到的還差。Teachers use it about the clever student老師常拿來形容聰明、whose homework never arrives但作業永遠交不出來的學生，and it carries a particular flavour帶著一種特別的味道：not stupid, not incapable不是笨、不是沒能力，just not delivering只是沒有拿出應有的表現。

Outside school it stretches to work and sport, and people also use it half-jokingly about themselves — 'I'm a professional underachiever' — which softens it into something almost fond. Said about someone else, though, it can sting, because it implies both that they had the talent and that they wasted it.

Outside school it stretches to work and sport在學校以外它延伸到工作和運動，and people also use it half-jokingly about themselves大家也會半開玩笑地拿來說自己——'I'm a professional underachiever''I'm a professional underachiever'（我是專業的沒發揮實力者）——which softens it into something almost fond這讓它變得幾乎帶點自嘲的可愛。Said about someone else, though不過用來說別人的時候，it can sting可能會刺傷人，because it implies both that they had the talent因為它暗示對方本來有天分，and that they wasted it而且浪費掉了。

It is countable, so it takes a and the plural: an underachiever, several underachievers. Its opposite, overachiever, is not really the same shape of word — that one means doing better than expected, and it is often said with a mix of admiration and teasing.

It is countable這是可數名詞，so it takes a and the plural可以加a、也可以變複數：an underachiever, several underachieversan underachiever（一個沒發揮實力的人）、several underachievers（好幾個這樣的人）。Its opposite, overachiever它的反義詞overachiever，is not really the same shape of word其實不是完全對稱的字——that one means doing better than expected那個字指的是表現比預期好，and it is often said with a mix of admiration and teasing講的時候常常帶著又佩服又調侃的語氣。