Misvaluate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To estimate or assess the worth of something at a figure that is lower than it truly deserves
2. To underrate the price or merit of an asset, object, or person by judging it too cheaply
3. Judging the value of something too low, so that its real worth is underestimated by the assessor

Etymology: "Misvaluate" is a plain English compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "valuate," a verb meaning to estimate the worth of something. The prefix has been used this way since Old English, where it attached to many verbs, so "misvaluate" follows an ordinary pattern rather than a special coinage. Its sense is simply to assess the value of something incorrectly, whether by overestimating or underestimating it. "Valuate" itself is a back-formation from "valuation," the noun that came first, and it reached English from the same Latin stock as "value" through Old French. Because "valuate" is the less common of the two verbs, "misvaluate" is rarer still, and speakers often reach for "misvalue" instead. The two forms carry the same meaning.

Synonyms: misjudge, undervalue, underestimate

Antonyms: overvalue, appreciate