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

Russia has a naval port in the north, and while there have been fewer Russian forces in the area since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the U.S. maintains a deconfliction phoneline with Moscow to avoid any troop miscalculations on the ground or in the air. —Lolita C. Baldor, Chicago Tribune, 9 Dec. 2024

Yoon’s actions appear to be a dramatic miscalculation that could cost him the presidency, as protesters in Seoul continue to press for his resignation. —Helen Regan, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024

That destructive conflict was widely seen to have been triggered by Hezbollah’s own miscalculation back then: that a cross-border kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers would yield only a limited Israeli response. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Nov. 2024

This is a step in the right direction to reducing the risks of misperception and miscalculation. —Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above