misunderestimate

English

Etymology

mis- +‎ underestimate.

Verb

misunderestimate (third-person singular simple present misunderestimates, present participle misunderestimating, simple past and past participle misunderestimated)

1. (nonstandard, malapropism or humorous) To underestimate by mistake; to misestimate with a low-side error type.
   • 1897 April 17, “American Diplomacy on the Bosphorous”, in The Outlook:

     . . .is almost sure to misunderstand and misunderestimate the significance of the question at hand.

   • 1975, Thomas Merton, My Argument With the Gestapo:

     Now in the very earliest years of the eighteenth century it is understandable that, owing to the inevitable, due to our never-to-be-misunderestimated Frederick the Gross . . .

   • 1980, Accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Powerplant: Oversight Hearings:

     And I think after Three Mile Island, not only does the NRC itself understand that it sadly misunderestimated the number of ways in . . .

   • 1992, Adelbert Denaux, John and the Synoptics:

     . . . not only the disciples within their accounts, had seriously misunderestimated the life and teaching of Jesus.

   • 1997 Aug. 29, John Conyers (D-MI), "Delivers Remarks to the Department of Agriculture's Coalition of Minority Employees":

     Whatever happened to Espy? Well, what happened to Espy is what happens to people whether you're a former congressman or not. If you understand the power -- if you misunderestimate the power of the intense bureaucracy in these agencies and departments and federal institutions, you go, they stay.

   • 2003 April 30, Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

     Hence, while anticipating incoming fire, here are several factors for why even the most liberal of Democrats should not "misunderestimate" — my favorite Bushism — our prez.

   • 2004, Bill Sammon, Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters,, →ISBN, page 347:

     "I think that anybody who misunderestimates this president is going to have egg on their face in a few years," Rice told me.

Usage notes

• As with the derivative misunderestimation, this is now usually, though not always, employed in jocular reference to former US President George W. Bush.

Synonyms

• underapproximate, underestimate

Hypernyms

• misestimate

Derived terms

• misunderestimation