miscalculation

noun

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

plural miscalculations

Synonyms of miscalculation next

: 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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

If firing Saleh — whose expertise was on the defensive side of the ball — was supposed to revive the offense, that was a miscalculation. —

Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024 Make a small miscalculation, and the court was gaping for Zheng to hit an easy ball into space. —

Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 3 Aug. 2024 Their oxygen supply dwindled, producing a syndrome resembling altitude sickness, due to a miscalculation about photosynthesis. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 Worse yet, due to a rent miscalculation, her landlord threatened to evict her and her family. —

Renee Hsia, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for miscalculation

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of miscalculation was in 1653

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Miscalculation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miscalculation. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation