What does miscalculation mean?
A miscalculation is an error in calculating or estimating something, such as a total, a budget, a forecast, or the resources needed for a task. Its consequences may range from inconvenience and wasted effort to serious financial, operational, or strategic failure. The word can refer narrowly to an incorrect mathematical result, but it is also used more broadly for a faulty assessment based on mistaken assumptions. For example, a company may make a miscalculation in projected demand and consequently order too few products, while a government may miscalculate the likely scale of an emergency and fail to prepare adequate resources. “Miscalculation” is more formal than “mistake” and emphasizes an error produced by faulty computation, assessment, or planning. It is useful when discussing decisions whose outcomes depended on numbers, forecasts, or assumptions that later proved inaccurate.
nounAn error in calculating, especially a wrong numerical result or an incorrect estimate. By extension, it can refer to a mistaken assessment of resources, risks, or circumstances that leads to faulty planning.
- An incorrect calculation, estimate, or numerical assessment.
- A mistaken assumption or assessment of circumstances that results in an error in planning or judgment.
"A small miscalculation in the forecast led the organizers to expect a much smaller crowd."
"A small miscalculation in the forecast led the organizers to expect a much smaller crowd."
"The project was delayed because of a miscalculation in the projected costs."
The standard plural is “miscalculations,” used for separate instances of an incorrect calculation or assessment.
"Several miscalculations in the estimates led to cost overruns."
The most expensive miscalculation is often not a bad sum, but a bad assumption behind it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does miscalculation come from?
Miscalculation combines the English prefix mis-, meaning “wrongly,” with calculation. Calculation comes through Latin calculus, originally meaning a small stone or pebble, and developed through the sense of a method of reckoning. The compound word therefore literally denotes a calculating or reckoning done incorrectly.
Related word forms
How miscalculation is actually used
The word is formal and relatively uncommon in everyday speech, though it is readily understood in both British and American English. It can describe either a straightforward numerical error or a broader error arising from faulty assumptions.
Easily confused with miscalculation
A calculation is the process or result of working out an amount or estimate, whereas a miscalculation is specifically a calculation that is incorrect.