Meanings
plural misunderestimations
- countablenonstandarduncountableAn inaccurate underestimation, or an act of misunderestimating; misestimation of the low-side error type.
We find even in our own agency very significant misunderestimations of the effectiveness.
1983, "Mr. Peck", Department of Transportation and related agencies appropriations for 1984: Hearings, page 1571 more example
This is not the first time our president has worried about misunderestimation, so it’s fair to regard this not as a slip of the tongue, but as something the president of the United States thinks is a word.
2009 January 15, Gail Collins, “He’s Leaving. Really.”, in New York Times
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
- Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
- Proto-Germanic*missaz
- Proto-Germanic*missa-
- Proto-West Germanic*missa-
- Old Englishmis-
- Middle Englishmys-
- Englishmis-
- Englishunderestimation
- Englishmisunderestimation
From mis- + underestimation.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
misunderestimation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misunderestimation
“misunderestimation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misunderestimation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misunderestimation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misunderestimation.
Source: misunderestimation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.