a severe underestimate

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a severe underestimate" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a situation where an estimation is significantly lower than the actual value or outcome. Example: "The report revealed that the initial budget was a severe underestimate of the project's true costs."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

But this official figure may be a severe underestimate, since homeless children temporarily staying with friends, family or in motels are excluded from the point-in-time count.

The Washington Post

Ian Brinkley, director of The Work Foundation, an economic thinktank, said: "The estimate is higher than it was but it is a severe underestimate of the true size of their use.

The Guardian - Money

Our results indicate that CC scaling on temperature provides a severe underestimate of observed changes in hourly rainfall extremes in Australia, with implications for assessing the impacts of extreme rainfall.

Nature

Furthermore, we show that assuming a-priori that local concentrations are normally or log-normally distributed may result in a severe underestimate of the probability of exceeding large concentrations.

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology

These figures are likely to be a severe underestimate of the actual gap, as they exclude not only regional development projects but also reconstruction of the region's war torn countries.

Huffington Post

If this situation also prevails in the general population, the reported data will be a severe underestimate of the actual disease burden in Sri Lanka.

BMC Infectious Diseases

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Failure to acknowledge sensitivities and specificities in the analysis would result in an underestimate of anti-HCV prevalence and a severe underestimation in the years prior to 1998.

American Journal of Epidemiology

Another economist, Robert N. Stavins of Harvard, said the regulators were "systematically biased" in ways "that lead to potentially severe underestimates of costs".

The New York Times - Science

In contrast, estimates for invertebrates are likely to be more severe underestimates because these species are more difficult to collect and identify.

Environmental Sciences Europe

Amber Peterman, leading author of the study, said: "Our results confirm that previous estimates of rape and sexual violence are severe underestimates of the true prevalence of sexual violence occurring in the DRC.

BBC

The ability to attribute proportions of the home injury burden to features of the home were correspondingly limited, leading to probable severe underestimates of the burden.

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a severe underestimate", ensure that the context clearly demonstrates the actual value or outcome is significantly higher than the initial estimate. This adds impact to your statement.

Common error

Avoid using "a severe underestimate" when the actual value is only marginally higher than the estimated value. This weakens the impact of the phrase and may lead to misinterpretation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a severe underestimate" functions as a noun phrase that describes a miscalculation or misjudgment. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and highlights a significant difference between an estimated and actual value. Examples demonstrate its use across diverse fields, suggesting that it serves to emphasize the magnitude of the error.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

41%

News & Media

40%

Academia

12%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

1%

Formal & Business

3%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a severe underestimate" is a noun phrase used to express a significant discrepancy between an initial estimation and the actual outcome. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and provides examples spanning across scientific, journalistic, and academic fields. While its usage is not ubiquitous, the expression effectively underscores the magnitude of a miscalculation, making it suitable for situations where the extent of the underestimation warrants emphasis. Consider alternatives like "a gross miscalculation" or "a significant underestimation" to fine-tune the message.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a significant underestimation

Uses "significant" instead of "severe", indicating a notable but potentially less extreme degree of underestimation.

a major underestimation

Emphasizes the scale of the underestimation by using "major."

a gross miscalculation

Replaces "severe" with "gross", emphasizing a significant error in calculation.

a serious undervaluation

Substitutes "underestimate" with "undervaluation", focusing on the act of assigning too low a value.

a marked undervaluation

Indicates a noticeable and significant undervaluation.

a considerable underrating

Replaces "underestimate" with "underrating", suggesting that something has been rated or valued too low.

a drastic underrating

Suggests that something has been severely underrated.

a vast understatement

Replaces "underestimate" with "understatement", focusing on the lack of emphasis given to the true extent.

a critical underassessment

Implies that the underestimation occurred during an assessment process and has significant implications.

a grave misjudgment

Implies that the underestimate was a serious mistake in judgment.

FAQs

How can I use "a severe underestimate" in a sentence?

You can use "a severe underestimate" to emphasize that an initial estimate was significantly lower than the actual value. For example, "The projected cost of the project was a severe underestimate of the final expenses."

What are some alternatives to "a severe underestimate"?

Alternatives include "a gross miscalculation", "a significant underestimation", or "a major underestimation", depending on the context and the level of emphasis you want to convey.

When is it appropriate to use "a severe underestimate"?

Use "a severe underestimate" when there's a considerable difference between the estimated and actual values, highlighting the initial misjudgment. For instance, "The initial projections for the company's growth were a severe underestimate, as profits exceeded expectations by 50%."

What's the difference between "a severe underestimate" and "an underestimate"?

"An underestimate" simply indicates that the actual value is higher than the estimated value. "A severe underestimate" emphasizes that the difference is substantial and significant.