Lowball Offer
An offer intentionally or substantially below a reasonable expected range for the role asset or agreement.
Plain English
A proposal that is much lower than what the other side considers fair.
In context
Calling an offer lowball is a judgment that should be grounded in scope market evidence total compensation constraints and the negotiation context.
Example
“The candidate considered the initial compensation proposal a lowball offer and asked for the approved range.”
When you'll hear this
- compensation negotiation
- vendor negotiation
- budget discussion
Common misunderstanding
A lower-than-hoped offer is not automatically deceptive and base salary alone may not represent the full package.
Also known as
low balllowball
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-27
