underestimate

underestimate — verb

1. to think that a cost, distance, or level of difficulty is actually smaller or le

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to think that a cost, distance, or level of difficulty is actually smaller or less serious than it later turns out to be

Example

Kevin underestimated his car repair costs and ran out of money before the job ended.

collocation: underestimate the cost

The number of wedding guests was badly underestimated, so the venue felt too small.

passive with intensifier 'badly'

Common collocations
  • underestimate the cost
  • underestimate the difficulty
  • underestimate the time needed
  • underestimate the size
  • badly/seriously/grossly underestimated
  • underestimate by + [amount]
Synonyms
  • misjudge

    broader in meaning — can apply to any wrong judgment, not just about size or amount

  • miscalculate

    more specific to numerical or quantitative errors

  • underrate

    formal and less common; often used for value or quality rather than size

Antonyms
  • overestimate

    direct opposite — to think something is larger or more serious than it actually is

Grammar Patterns

underestimate + noun phrase

be underestimated

underestimate + how/what clause

Usage Note

Frequently used with intensifying adverbs such as 'badly', 'seriously', 'grossly', or 'greatly'. The noun phrase after 'by' specifies the gap between the estimate and the real figure.

Common Mistakes

I underestimated the heavy traffic.
I underestimated how heavy the traffic would be.
'underestimate' takes a clause or a noun phrase describing what was misjudged, not a direct adjective.

2. to form a wrong opinion about someone's skill, strength, intelligence, or determ

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to form a wrong opinion about someone's skill, strength, intelligence, or determination, believing them to be less capable than they actually prove to be

Example

The chess champion underestimated his young opponent and lost the game within twenty moves.

underestimate a person directly

Ife's colleagues used to underestimate her, but her excellent results changed their opinion.

Common collocations
  • underestimate someone's ability
  • underestimate someone's strength
  • underestimate someone's determination
  • never underestimate + [person]
  • be easily underestimated
  • consistently underestimated
Synonyms
  • underrate

    more formal and slightly less common; often used in written rather than spoken English

  • sell short

    informal idiom; suggests not giving someone enough credit for their qualities

  • undervalue

    focuses on not recognising the true worth or importance of someone or something

Antonyms
  • overestimate

    to think that someone has more ability or skill than they actually have

  • overrate

    to have a higher opinion of someone than they deserve

Grammar Patterns

underestimate + noun phrase (person or ability)

underestimate + how/what clause

be underestimated

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense takes a person or a person's quality as the direct object, not a quantity or cost. The consequence is often that the person being underestimated proves the estimator wrong through superior performance.

Common Mistakes

Don't underestimate him — he is very stronger.
Don't underestimate him
he is very strong.' — 'stronger' requires a comparison (than...); use the positive form after 'very'.

underestimate — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a wrong assessment, but they differ in scope and typical use. 'Underestimate' is the most common and covers quantity, size, difficulty, or ability — the estimate is simply too low. 'Misjudge' is broader: you can misjudge a person's character, a distance, or a situation, not necessarily by being too low but by being wrong in any direction. 'Miscalculate' is more specific to numbers or timing — the error is usually numerical or logistical, such as miscalculating travel time or the cost of materials. 'Underrate' is formal and often used in writing; it focuses on the value or quality of something rather than its quantity. For example: 'The project failed because the team underestimated the difficulty' (quantity of difficulty); 'She misjudged his intentions' (not about quantity); 'He miscalculated the budget' (numerical error); 'Critics underrate this author's contribution to the genre' (value judgment).

underestimate ↗misjudgemiscalculateunderrate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • it would be a mistake to underestimate
  • never underestimate
  • don't underestimate

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 'under-' (meaning 'below' or 'too little') and 'estimate', which comes from Latin 'aestimare' (to value or appraise). The word first appeared in the early 1800s, combining the idea of setting a value with the sense of setting it too low.