overestimation
noun
over·es·ti·ma·tion
ˌō-vər-ˌe-stə-ˈmā-shən 
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
Lewis Thomas… their wild overestimation of the reader's attention span …—Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman… potential problems of underestimation or overestimation of disease rates …—Tonny J. Oyana et al.
Tonny J. Oyana et al.Examples of overestimation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Additionally, cognitive biases, such as the desire for immediate gratification and overestimation of the value of trendy or popular items, play a significant role.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Most tech companies have been reluctant to disclose much proprietary information at the most granular, energy-per-query level, which can lead to gross overestimations when multiplied across billions of queries.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Even if that number is a vast overestimation, and the death toll from all nuclear accidents were a vast underestimation, splitting atoms in nuclear power stations is still one of the safest things that humanity does.
—Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
This was later updated to reflect a 598,000 overestimation in previous data.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overestimation
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Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Most tech companies have been reluctant to disclose much proprietary information at the most granular, energy-per-query level, which can lead to gross overestimations when multiplied across billions of queries.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Even if that number is a vast overestimation, and the death toll from all nuclear accidents were a vast underestimation, splitting atoms in nuclear power stations is still one of the safest things that humanity does.
—Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
This was later updated to reflect a 598,000 overestimation in previous data.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overestimation
Cite this Entry
“Overestimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimation. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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