misunderestimate
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
mis- + underestimate.
Verb[edit]
misunderestimate (third-person singular simple present misunderestimates, present participle misunderestimating, simple past and past participle misunderestimated)
- (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[edit]
- As with the derivative misunderestimation, this is now usually, though not always, employed in jocular reference to former US President George W. Bush.