Undercorrecting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Changing or adjusting something insufficiently when making corrections
2. Applying minor or inadequate changes in a process or data, leading to incomplete accuracy
3. Failing to fully rectify errors or miscalculations, resulting in persisting inaccuracies

Etymology: "Undercorrecting" is the present participle of "undercorrect," a verb built from the prefix "under-" and "correct." The prefix means "insufficiently" or "below the needed level," so the combined sense is straightforward: to correct something but not by enough. "Correct" came into English from Latin "corrigere," meaning "to make right," formed from "com-" (together, thoroughly) and "regere" (to guide or rule). Its core idea is bringing something back into line. "Under-" is a native English prefix, attached to verbs and nouns for centuries to signal shortfall, as in "undercook" or "underestimate." Joining the two produces a word that describes an adjustment that falls short of its target, which is exactly the situation a person faces when a fix is real but too small.

Synonyms: underadjusting, undercompensating

Antonyms: overcorrecting, overadjusting