understaffed
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: * Having an insufficient number of staff or employees to function effectively: Describes an organization, department, or team that does not have enough workers to handle its workload or responsibilities adequately.
Usage
The adjective "understaffed" is used to describe a state or condition. It typically modifies nouns like hospital, school, restaurant, office, department, or team. It often implies negative consequences such as stress, reduced service quality, or inefficiency.
Examples
- The customer service department is critically understaffed, leading to long wait times.
- Many public schools are understaffed and lack sufficient teachers.
- The restaurant was so understaffed on Saturday night that the manager had to help bus tables.
- Patient care suffers when a hospital is chronically understaffed.
Advanced Usage
- To be understaffed is the most common construction.
- The project is failing because we are severely understaffed.
- Understaffed can be modified by adverbs like , , , or to emphasize the degree of the shortage.
- A dangerously understaffed police force cannot effectively serve the community.
Variants and Related Words
- Understaffing (noun): The condition of being understaffed.
- Chronic understaffing is the root cause of the burnout problem.
- Short-staffed (adjective): A near-synonym meaning having fewer staff than usual or than needed.
- We are short-staffed today because two people called in sick.
Synonyms
- Short-handed
- Undermanned
- Short-staffed
Antonyms
- Overstaffed
- Fully staffed
- Well-staffed
Adjective
- inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.
- they're rather short-handed at the moment
- overcrowded and understaffed hospitals