underdog
n.a person or team that is expected to lose a competition or struggle. People often support them because it is exciting to see them win against the odds.
n.a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. Often used to describe a person or group in a position of disadvantage within a social or political struggle.
“The local team was the underdog in the final match.”
“Despite being the underdog in the election, the young candidate won by a surprising margin.”
“The film follows the classic narrative of a determined underdog who overcomes systemic obstacles to achieve victory against a much more powerful opponent.”
Commonly used with the definite article ('the underdog') when referring to the general concept of the disadvantaged party.
“Some say the IAU vote made Pluto an underdog for which people developed a soft spot in their hearts.”
“This is a movie about an underdog and it’s become an underdog itself.”
From under- + dog.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.