Standard Lemma guide

underestimate

noun · verb · 7 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.

  • General-American: /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.mɪt/
  • General-American: /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.mət/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.meɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH1 N D ER0 EH1 S T AH0 M EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AH1 N D ER0 EH1 S T AH0 M AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An estimate that is too low.

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 estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than what he/she/it actually has.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misjudge, misunderestimate, sell short, underapproximate

Antonyms: overapproximate, overestimate, overhold, overrate, overreckon, overstate, overthink

3

verb

Meaning 3

To perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I totally underestimated the task.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: belittle, make light of, bagatellize, banalize, cut down, de-emphasize, denigrate, degrade, deprecate, derogate, disparage, dispraise, downplay, lilliputianize, make little of, make nothing of, minimize, play down, set at nought, superficialize, trivialize, underestimate, underplay, understate, vilipend

Antonyms: overdo, big up, cut it fat, exaggerate, hyperbolize, overcharge, overemphasize, overstate, play up, stretch, three-sheet

4

noun

Meaning 4

an estimation that is too low; an estimate that is less than the true or actual value

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: underestimation, underrating, underreckoning

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: estimate, estimation, approximation, idea

5

verb

Meaning 5

make too low an estimate of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he underestimated the work that went into the renovation
  • Don't underestimate the danger of such a raft trip on this river

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: underrate

Antonyms: overestimate

Broader terms: misjudge

Narrower terms: sell short

6

verb

Meaning 6

make a deliberately low estimate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The construction company wanted the contract badly and lowballed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lowball

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: estimate, gauge, approximate, guess, judge

7

verb

Meaning 7

assign too low a value to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Don't underestimate the value of this heirloom-you may sell it at a good price

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: undervalue

Antonyms: overestimate

Broader terms: value

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1én Proto-Indo-European *h1entér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dhí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dhér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English estimate English underestimate From under- + estimate.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: թերագնահատում (tʻeragnahatum) — an estimate that is too low
  • Belarusian: недаацэ́нка (njedaacénka) — an estimate that is too low
  • Bulgarian: недооце́нка (nedoocénka) — an estimate that is too low
  • Dutch: onderschatting — an estimate that is too low
  • Finnish: alhainen arvio — an estimate that is too low
  • Finnish: aliarviointi — an estimate that is too low
  • French: sous-estimation — an estimate that is too low
  • German: Unterschätzung — an estimate that is too low
  • Italian: sottostima — an estimate that is too low
  • Italian: sottovalutazione — an estimate that is too low
  • Norwegian Bokmål: undervurdering — an estimate that is too low
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: undervurdering — an estimate that is too low
  • Polish: niedocenienie — an estimate that is too low
  • Polish: niedoszacowanie — an estimate that is too low
  • Polish: zbyt niskie oszacowanie — an estimate that is too low
  • Russian: недооце́нка (nedoocénka) — an estimate that is too low
  • Swedish: underskattning — an estimate that is too low
  • Swedish: undervärdering — an estimate that is too low
  • Arabic: اِسْتَخَفَّ (istaḵaffa) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Arabic: اِسْتَهَانَ (istahāna) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Armenian: թերագնահատել (tʻeragnahatel) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Belarusian: недаацэ́ньваць (njedaacénʹvacʹ) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Belarusian: недаацані́ць (njedaacanícʹ) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Bulgarian: подценя́вам (podcenjávam) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Bulgarian: подценя́ (podcenjá) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Catalan: subestimar — to perceive as having lower value
  • Chinese Mandarin: 低估 (dīgū) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Czech: podcenit — to perceive as having lower value
  • Danish: undervurdere — to perceive as having lower value
  • Dutch: onderschatten — to perceive as having lower value
  • Esperanto: subtaksi — to perceive as having lower value
  • Finnish: aliarvioida — to perceive as having lower value
  • French: sous-estimer — to perceive as having lower value
  • Galician: subestimar — to perceive as having lower value
  • German: unterschätzen — to perceive as having lower value
  • Greek: υποτιμώ (ypotimó) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Greek: υποεκτιμώ (ypoektimó) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Hebrew: זִלְזֵל (zilzél) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Hungarian: alábecsül — to perceive as having lower value
  • Indonesian: meremehkan — to perceive as having lower value
  • Indonesian: pandang rendah — to perceive as having lower value
  • Italian: sottovalutare — to perceive as having lower value
  • Italian: sottostimare — to perceive as having lower value
  • Japanese: 過小評価する (kashōhyōka suru) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Japanese: 侮る (anadoru) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Japanese: 舐める (nameru) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Korean: 과소평가하다 (gwasopyeonggahada) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Luxembourgish: ënnerschätzen — to perceive as having lower value
  • Norwegian Bokmål: undervurdere — to perceive as having lower value
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: undervurdere — to perceive as having lower value
  • Polish: zaniżać — to perceive as having lower value
  • Polish: zaniżyć — to perceive as having lower value
  • Portuguese: menosprezar — to perceive as having lower value
  • Portuguese: subestimar — to perceive as having lower value
  • Portuguese: fazer pouco — to perceive as having lower value
  • Romanian: subevalua — to perceive as having lower value
  • Romanian: subestima — to perceive as having lower value
  • Russian: недооце́нивать (nedoocénivatʹ) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Russian: недооцени́ть (nedoocenítʹ) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Serbo-Croatian: подцењивати — to perceive as having lower value
  • Serbo-Croatian: подценити — to perceive as having lower value
  • Slovak: podceňovať — to perceive as having lower value
  • Slovak: podceniť — to perceive as having lower value
  • Slovene: podcenjevati — to perceive as having lower value
  • Slovene: podceniti — to perceive as having lower value
  • Spanish: subestimar — to perceive as having lower value
  • Swedish: underskatta — to perceive as having lower value
  • Swedish: undervärdera — to perceive as having lower value
  • Tagalog: maliitin — to perceive as having lower value
  • Telugu: తక్కువ అంచనా వేయు (takkuva añcanā vēyu) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Thai: ดูถูกดูแคลน (duu tùuk duu klæn) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Turkish: azımsamak — to perceive as having lower value
  • Turkish: hafife almak — to perceive as having lower value
  • Turkish: küçümsemek — to perceive as having lower value
  • Ukrainian: недооці́нювати (nedoocínjuvaty) — to perceive as having lower value
  • Ukrainian: недооціни́ти (nedoocinýty) — to perceive as having lower value