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
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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
Analysts have long warned that a miscalculation in the South China Sea could quickly spiral into a damaging regional conflict between the world’s two largest economies and that a lack of communication could compound those risks.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024
Without a serious primary challenger, the campaign could be confident of its position — a slight miscalculation in terms of who the candidate would be but one that Harris is benefiting from.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
Secret armaments or doctrinal shifts without public messaging will only make adversaries more paranoid and a full-on arms race all but inevitable, raising the risk of miscalculation by someone, somewhere, somehow.
—Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024
But eventual de-escalation and containment are never guaranteed; any state’s rational calculations favoring restraint can suddenly be overtaken by events on the ground, leading to miscalculations or even intentional strategic decisions to provoke a wider conflict.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for miscalculation 
Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024
Without a serious primary challenger, the campaign could be confident of its position — a slight miscalculation in terms of who the candidate would be but one that Harris is benefiting from.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
Secret armaments or doctrinal shifts without public messaging will only make adversaries more paranoid and a full-on arms race all but inevitable, raising the risk of miscalculation by someone, somewhere, somehow.
—Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024
But eventual de-escalation and containment are never guaranteed; any state’s rational calculations favoring restraint can suddenly be overtaken by events on the ground, leading to miscalculations or even intentional strategic decisions to provoke a wider conflict.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for miscalculation
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miscalculation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near miscalculation
Cite this Entry
“Miscalculation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miscalculation. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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