overestimation

noun

over·​es·​ti·​ma·​tion ˌō-vər-ˌe-stə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce overestimation (audio)
plural overestimations
: the act or an instance of estimating someone or something too highly
The overestimation of the value of an advance in medicine can lead to more trouble than anyone can foresee …Lewis Thomas
… their wild overestimation of the reader's attention span …Lev Grossman
… potential problems of underestimation or overestimation of disease rates …Tonny J. Oyana et al.

Examples of overestimation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The upshot of this free cash flow overestimation is that analysts have been overestimating Tesla’s fundamental value for years. Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025 This underperformance of Pfizer stock can be attributed to declining revenues after the surge in Covid-19 vaccine demand during the pandemic and the company’s overestimation of Covid-19 products demand in the long run. Trefis Team, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 The overestimation caused by incorrect arm positioning, particularly the unsupported arm at the side, could easily lead to misdiagnoses of hypertension. Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2024 Givi and Kirk attribute this overestimation of negative outcomes to cognitive bias—more specifically, the tendency to give more weight to our own overthinking than to the actual thoughts of others. Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for overestimation

Word History

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overestimation was in 1808

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Cite this Entry

“Overestimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimation. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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