Synonyms for underestimate
Most common
minimize belittle disparage trivialize under-approximate misunderestimate lowball underjudge
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Disparage — to perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is
make little of, make nothing of, disparage, belittle, trivialize, trivialise UK, make light of, minimize, minimise UK, depreciate, deprecate, misprize, mesprise UK, understate, underplay, downplay, denigrate, de-emphasize, deemphasise UK, degrade, derogate, vilipend formal dated
2. Sell short — to estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than…
3. Underrate
Other
lowball, underjudge
Definitions
- v. 1
To estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than what he/she/it actually has.
- v. 2
To perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is.
I totally underestimated the task.
Related words
- Is a kind of
- estimate miscalculate misjudge misestimate
Forms
- Past participle
- underestimated
e.g. underestimated → disparaged, belittled, trivialized, minimized…
Choose the right word
A witness or a statement is discredited; the currency is depreciated; a good name is dishonored by unworthy conduct; we underestimate in our own minds; we may underrate or undervalue in statement to others.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- minimize I want to minimize the chances of another accident.
- belittle Why do you have to belittle people all the time?
- disparage We didn't mean to disparage our contenders.
- trivialize While I don't want to trivialize your concerns, is all of this really necessary?
- misunderestimate Don't misunderestimate yourself.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| underestimate | rising | |
| minimize | steady | |
| belittle | steady | |
| disparage | steady | |
| trivialize | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 7 letters
- degrade2, lowball
- 8 letters
- minimize3, minimise, belittle3, downplay2, misjudge2, derogate, misprize, mesprise, vilipend
- 9 letters
- disparage3, denigrate3, underrate3, deprecate3, underplay3
- 10 letters
- depreciate4, undervalue4, understate3, trivialize4, trivialise, underjudge
- 11 letters
- deemphasise, underreckon
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (degrade2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- sous-estimer
- Italiano
- sottovalutare
- Deutsch
- unterschätzen
- Català
- menystenir