1. To assess a quantity, value or capability as less than it actually is.
2. An assessment lower than the relevant actual quantity, value or capability.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- underestimate a cost
- underestimate a difficulty
On the page
The plan underestimated the maintenance cost.
The review underestimated the difficulty of recovering the records.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- underestimate
- Past tense
- underestimated
- Past participle
- underestimated
- Present participle
- underestimating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- underestimate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are underestimating
- Present perfect
- have/has underestimated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been underestimating
- Past
- underestimated
- Past continuous
- was/were underestimating
- Past perfect
- had underestimated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been underestimating
- Future
- will underestimate
- Future continuous
- will be underestimating
- Future perfect
- will have underestimated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been underestimating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: underestimate; underestimates; underestimated; underestimated; underestimating; noun singular underestimate; noun plural underestimates. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: renewed assessment, explicit formulation, classification and framing. Disciplines: academic writing, formal analysis. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: underestimates.
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