underestimate yourself

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   To think you are less able, less skilled, or less valuable than you really are.

   Grammar: Used with a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject: I underestimated myself, they underestimated themselves.

   Patterns

   • underestimate yourself as something
   • seriously underestimate yourself
   • tend to underestimate yourself

   She turned down the promotion because she underestimated herself and thought she was not ready.

   Don't underestimate yourself — you solved that problem faster than anyone else in the team.

   Many students underestimate themselves in speaking tests and stay silent when they actually know the answer.

2. 2phraseidiom

   To guess that your own future performance, effort, or chances are worse than they turn out to be.

   Grammar: Often used about a task you are about to do, especially with time or difficulty words.

   Patterns

   • underestimate yourself on something
   • underestimate how long you will take
   • underestimate yourself when it comes to something

   I underestimated myself on the exam and finished the whole paper with twenty minutes to spare.

   He always underestimates how much he can get done in a weekend.

   We underestimated ourselves when we planned the trip and packed far too little food.

Common combinations

seriously underestimate yourself

If you seriously underestimate yourself, you may never apply for the jobs you deserve.

tend to underestimate yourself

Quiet people often tend to underestimate themselves in group discussions.

underestimate yourself as a learner

Don't underestimate yourself as a learner just because your first essay was weak.

stop underestimating yourself

Her coach told her to stop underestimating herself and enter the competition.

underestimate your own ability

He underestimated his own ability and chose the easier course.

Synonyms and how they differ

sell yourself short

An informal idiom with almost the same meaning, but it usually suggests you are accepting too little money, praise, or credit, not just thinking badly of your skills.

be modest

This describes speaking about yourself in a humble way; it is often positive, while underestimating yourself usually means a genuine mistake about your own worth.

lack confidence

This is broader and describes a general feeling; underestimating yourself is about a specific wrong judgment of your ability.

Opposites

Word family

underestimate verb

To guess that something is smaller, weaker, or less important than it really is.

underestimation noun

The act of judging something as smaller or weaker than it truly is.

self-esteem noun

The general feeling that you are a capable and worthy person.

Commonly confused: underestimate yourself or overestimate yourself? underestimate yourself or understate?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “underestimate yourself”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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