Meaning

(nonstandard, malapropism or humorous) To underestimate mistakenly or wrongly; to misestimate with an error on the lower side..

Example Sentences

Whatever happened to Espy? Well, what happened to Espy is what happens to people whether you're a former congressman or not. If you understand the power -- if you misunderestimate the power of the intense bureaucracy in these agencies and departments and federal institutions, you go, they stay.

. . .is almost sure to misunderstand and misunderestimate the significance of the question at hand.

Now in the very earliest years of the eighteenth century it is understandable that, owing to the inevitable, due to our never-to-be-misunderestimated Frederick the Gross . . .

And I think after Three Mile Island, not only does the NRC itself understand that it sadly misunderestimated the number of ways in . . .

. . . not only the disciples within their accounts, had seriously misunderestimated the life and teaching of Jesus.

Hence, while anticipating incoming fire, here are several factors for why even the most liberal of Democrats should not "misunderestimate" — my favorite Bushism — our prez.

"I think that anybody who misunderestimates this president is going to have egg on their face in a few years," Rice told me.

The most quoted malamanteau is George W. Bush’s “I misunderestimated”. Others that have evoked smirks have been “miscommunicado” (from “miscommunicate” and “incommunicado”), “insinuendo” (from “innuendo” and “insinuation”), and “squirmish” (“squirm” and “skirmish”).

Word Forms

• misunderestimates
• misunderestimating
• misunderestimated

Synonyms for misunderestimate

Antonyms for misunderestimate

Related Words

When Should You Use Misunderestimate?

Use misunderestimate when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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