underestimate
verb
un·der·es·ti·mate
| \ ˌən-dər-ˈe-stə-ˌmāt
\
\
underestimated;
underestimating;
underestimates
Definition of underestimate
1
: to estimate as being less than the actual size, quantity, or number
2
: to place too low a value on : underrate
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from underestimate
underestimate
\ ˌən-dər-ˈe-stə-mət
\
noun
\
noun
underestimation
\ ˌən-dər-ˌe-stə-ˈmā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for underestimate
Synonyms
Antonyms
overestimate, overrate, overvalue
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of underestimate in a Sentence
The city underestimated the cost of the new building.
The number of people in the crowd was underestimated by 5,000.
Never underestimate the importance of a good education.
Her talent has always been underestimated.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
And that may be underestimating the value of Social Security. — Liz Weston, Dallas News, "Believing these myths about Social Security could hurt millennials," 21 Aug. 2019 Critics also perhaps underestimated the disdain with which many Hong Kongers viewed the legislature and their lack of sympathy for a symbol of the local government being attacked. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Mob violence tests the limits of Hong Kong's leaderless protest movement," 15 Aug. 2019 Their method likely underestimates the total available water for countries that have substantial groundwater reserves. — Aondover Tarhule, The Conversation, "We use satellites to measure water scarcity," 13 Aug. 2019 For that matter, have politicians underestimated the difficulties in providing options to the car that actually compete in terms of convenience and appeal? — Vincent Carroll, The Denver Post, "Carroll: One root cause of the RTD ridership slide — convenience — isn’t going anywhere," 3 Aug. 2019 There’s something eerie in the constant assertion of Tony Stark as Tycoon SuperJesus — but don’t underestimate the shifty layers of the final act. — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, "From Spider-Man to Midsommar, 10 movies to see this Fourth of July weekend," 5 July 2019 McDonnell shouldn’t underestimate his challenger, Guerra said. — Maya Lau, latimes.com, "A historic election shock gives a longshot the chance to topple L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell," 3 July 2018 And don’t underestimate those small airports, Baskas points out. — Sophia Gottfried, Time, "How Early Should You Get to the Airport? Here's What Travel Experts Say," 26 June 2018 Which is only to say that those who are asking where the money is going to come from to fund a stadium, and maybe, a team, shouldn't underestimate the effort. — John Canzano, OregonLive.com, "Canzano: Major League move not only for Russell Wilson and Ciara, but for Portland," 1 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'underestimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for underestimate
underestimate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of underestimate
: to estimate (something) as being less than the actual size, quantity, or number
: to think of (someone or something) as being lower in ability, influence, or value than that person or thing actually is
See the full definition for underestimate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Keep scrolling for more