Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

under the weather

/ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English

Syllables: un-der the wea-ther
IPA: /ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/

25

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

ill or gloomy, especially from a cold or flu.

adj

Somewhat intoxicated or suffering from a hangover.

adj

Experiencing adversity.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"[…] I met a stranger, a quiet little man, who also had been under the weather from malaria."
"I was a bit under the weather last night: out with a party of friends, you know. Dare say we all had a bit more than we could carry."
"The Hawkinses are under the weather now, but their Tennessee property is millions when it comes into market."

Etymology

From under the weather bow (“affected by bad weather; seasick”); weather bow is a nautical term referring to the side of a ship exposed to bad weather.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/
British English: /ˈʌndə ðə ˈwɛðə/

Usage

Obsolete

Synonyms

off one's feed out of sorts ailing indisposed peaked poorly sickly unwell seedy

Antonyms

get over

Questions

How do you pronounce under the weather?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/.
What does under the weather mean?: ill or gloomy, especially from a cold or flu.
Where does under the weather come from?: From under the weather bow (“affected by bad weather; seasick”); weather bow is a nautical term referring to the side of a ship exposed to bad weather.

How to pronounce under the weather

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “under the weather”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “under the weather”.
Repeat and practice — Say “under the weather” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.