"Overestimate" & "overstate": two ways to go overboard

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 19/02/2025, 14:46

English.me team member

Overestimate and overstate. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both "overestimate" and "overstate" involve exaggeration or presenting something as more significant than it actually is. They both imply an assessment or description that exceeds reality.

What is different?

"Overestimate" refers to making an estimate or judgment that is higher than the actual value, often involving quantitative measures like time, cost, or ability. "Overstate" means to express or describe something in exaggerated terms, typically in speech or writing, without necessarily involving numerical estimates.

Which one is more common?

Examples of usage

Overestimate

The team overestimated how much time the project would take.
She overestimated her ability to run a marathon without training.
Economists overestimated the growth rate for this quarter.

Overstate

He overstated his achievements on his resume.
The article overstated the impact of the new policy.
It's easy to overstate the importance of one good performance.