Standard Lemma guide

overestimate

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˌəʊvəɹˈɛstɪmət/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˌəʊvəɹˈɛstɪmeɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: OW2 V ER0 EH1 S T AH0 M EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An estimate that is too high.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To judge or calculate too highly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I overestimated the number of attendees, and bought far too much food for the party.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overapproximate, overstate

Antonyms: underestimate, misunderestimate, sell short, underapproximate, underguess, underjudge, underrate, underreckon, understate

3

noun

Meaning 3

a calculation that results in an estimate that is too high

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overestimation, overrating, overreckoning

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: estimate, estimation, approximation, idea

4

noun

Meaning 4

an appraisal that is too high

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overestimation, overvaluation, overappraisal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: appraisal, estimate, estimation

5

verb

Meaning 5

make too high an estimate of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He overestimated his own powers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overrate

Antonyms: underestimate

Broader terms: misjudge

Narrower terms: overcapitalize, overcapitalise

6

verb

Meaning 6

assign too high a value to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • You are overestimating the value of your old car

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overvalue

Antonyms: underestimate

Broader terms: value

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English estimate English overestimate From over- + estimate.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: пераацэнка (pjeraacenka) — an estimate that is too high
  • French: surestimation — an estimate that is too high
  • Russian: переоце́нка (pereocénka) — an estimate that is too high
  • Armenian: գերագնահատել (geragnahatel) — to judge too highly
  • Belarusian: пераацэ́ньваць (pjeraacénʹvacʹ) — to judge too highly
  • Belarusian: пераацані́ць (pjeraacanícʹ) — to judge too highly
  • Bulgarian: надценявам (nadcenjavam) — to judge too highly
  • Catalan: sobreestimar — to judge too highly
  • Chinese Cantonese: 高估 (gou1 gu2) — to judge too highly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高估 (gāogū) — to judge too highly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 估計過高 /估计过高 (gūjì guògāo) — to judge too highly
  • Czech: přecenit — to judge too highly
  • Danish: overvurdere — to judge too highly
  • Dutch: overschatten — to judge too highly
  • Finnish: yliarvioida — to judge too highly
  • French: surestimer — to judge too highly
  • Galician: sobreestimar — to judge too highly
  • German: überschätzen — to judge too highly
  • Greek: υπερεκτιμώ (yperektimó) — to judge too highly
  • Hungarian: túlbecsül — to judge too highly
  • Hungarian: túlértékel — to judge too highly
  • Indonesian: melebih-lebihkan — to judge too highly
  • Indonesian: pandang tinggi — to judge too highly
  • Italian: sopravvalutare — to judge too highly
  • Italian: sovrastimare — to judge too highly
  • Japanese: 過大評価する (kadaihyōka suru) — to judge too highly
  • Japanese: 買い被る (kaikaburu) — to judge too highly
  • Macedonian: прецени (preceni) — to judge too highly
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overvurdere — to judge too highly
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overvurdere — to judge too highly
  • Polish: zawyżać — to judge too highly
  • Polish: zawyżyć — to judge too highly
  • Polish: przeceniać — to judge too highly
  • Portuguese: superestimar — to judge too highly
  • Portuguese: sobrestimar — to judge too highly
  • Portuguese: sobre-estimar — to judge too highly
  • Russian: переоце́нивать (pereocénivatʹ) — to judge too highly
  • Russian: переоцени́ть (pereocenítʹ) — to judge too highly
  • Spanish: sobrestimar — to judge too highly
  • Spanish: sobreestimar — to judge too highly
  • Swedish: överskatta — to judge too highly
  • Telugu: ఎక్కువ అంచనా వేయు (ekkuva añcanā vēyu) — to judge too highly
  • Turkish: gözünde büyütmek — to judge too highly
  • Ukrainian: переоціни́ти (pereocinýty) — to judge too highly
  • Ukrainian: переоці́нювати (pereocínjuvaty) — to judge too highly