Underestimate

Quick meaning: Underestimate is a verb meaning (transitive) To perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is.

Meaning

(transitive) To perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is.

More Meanings

1. An estimate that is too low.
2. (transitive) To estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than what he/she/it actually has.

Example Sentences

I totally underestimated the task.

Both egg dishes were accompanied by roasted baby red potatoes and fresh, baked-on-the-premises orange spice muffins with a pot of whipped butter. We cannot underestimate the gustatorial importance of the potato side dish.

I was alone when I read Ward’s piece, horizontal in bed after a long day, and it occurred to me that he might be misdiagnosing some of the reasons people appear to be spending more time alone, possibly underestimating the strength of virtual connections.

It recalls the business case for Scotland's reopening of the Borders Railway to Tweedbank, that British Rail closed in 1969. The review says the business case for this was at best borderline, but goes on to say that the case greatly underestimated passenger demand and that the railway Scotland built has capped its capacity.

Word Forms

• underestimates
• underestimating
• underestimated

Synonyms for underestimate

Depending on context, synonyms include misunderestimate, underapproximate, underguess, underjudge, underrate, underreckon.

Antonyms for underestimate

Common opposites include overestimate, overapproximate, overhold, overrate, overreckon, overstate.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include underrate, undervalue, lowball, underrating, underreckoning, undervaluation.

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