misgauge
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: To estimate, judge, or measure something incorrectly or inaccurately. It implies a failure to assess a quantity, amount, magnitude, or situation properly.
Usage
The verb "misgauge" is used to describe the action of making an incorrect assessment. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the thing that is incorrectly judged). It is often used in contexts involving measurement, estimation, or the evaluation of situations, reactions, or distances.
Examples
- The contractor misgauged the amount of concrete needed, resulting in a costly delay.
- She completely misgauged the public's reaction to her announcement.
- It's easy to misgauge the depth of a puddle in the dark.
- He misgauged the distance to the curb and scraped the car's wheel.
Advanced Usage
- "to misgauge the mood/temperature": To incorrectly assess the prevailing feeling or atmosphere of a group or situation.
- The speaker misgauged the mood of the audience and told an inappropriate joke.
- "to misgauge the implications": To fail to properly understand or estimate the consequences or significance of something.
- The company misgauged the implications of the new law on its operations.
Variants and Related Words
- Misgauge is the standard verb form. The related noun form is misgauging (the act of gauging incorrectly).
- His misgauging of the risks led to the project's failure.
- Gauge (verb): To estimate or measure precisely. This is the root verb from which "misgauge" is formed by adding the prefix "mis-" (meaning wrongly or badly).
Synonyms
- Miscalculate
- Misjudge
- Misestimate
- Misread
- Underestimate / Overestimate (these specify the direction of the error)
Antonyms
- Gauge correctly
- Calculate accurately
- Judge properly
- Assess rightly
Verb
- gauge something incorrectly or improperly