miscalculation

noun

mis·​cal·​cu·​la·​tion ˌmis-ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən 

plural miscalculations

: a mistake in calculation : wrong calculation

a costly miscalculation

… ruled that utility shareholders, not electricity consumers, must pay for some or all of the miscalculations that resulted in excessive expansion or cost overruns.

—Peter Nulty

Synonyms

• misapprehension
• misjudging
• misjudgment
• misstep
• mistake
• slip
• slipup

Examples of miscalculation in a Sentence

treating her opponent as an intellectual lightweight was a serious miscalculation on her part

Recent Examples on the Web

But comfort didn't save him from one of the biggest miscalculations of his career. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025

Weakening the university-defense research partnership is a strategic miscalculation with far-reaching consequences. —Sarah Kreps, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025

His narrative shows how conflict often arises not from necessity, but from misreading, miscalculation and passions unmoored from reason. —Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 15 Apr. 2025

City’s injury woes are part misfortune and part miscalculation. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for miscalculation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration