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
There's also the question of Utility Factor (UF) overestimation: UF refers to the proportion of total driving that is powered by electricity.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
The study found that the incorrect, older models led to a significant bias in criticality calculations, causing an artificial overestimation of the reactor’s effective neutron multiplication factor (keff).
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for overestimation
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New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
The study found that the incorrect, older models led to a significant bias in criticality calculations, causing an artificial overestimation of the reactor’s effective neutron multiplication factor (keff).
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for overestimation
Cite this Entry
“Overestimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overestimation. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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