miscalibrate
Tune instrument incorrectly
To miscalibrate is to calibrate something incorrectly, resulting in inaccurate measurements or improper function.
The term applies to instruments, equipment, and systems that require precise adjustment to work properly: The miscalibrated scale showed weights that were consistently two pounds heavy.
In extended use, miscalibrate describes misjudging social situations or expectations: He had completely miscalibrated how the audience would react to his joke.
Lack of precision
- imprecisionLack of exactness
- deviationDeparture from expected path
- misalignmentImproper positioning relative to reference
- skewTwist from straight
drift · offset · variance · discrepancy · distortion · tolerance · error margin · systematic error
Evaluate incorrectly
- misestimateJudge incorrectly
- misreadInterpret text incorrectly
- misconstrueUnderstand incorrectly
- misapprehendGrasp incorrectly
overestimate · underestimate · misreckon · misgauge · miscalculation · misperception · bias · assumption
Go beyond intended point
- undershootMiss by insufficient reach
- overestimateJudge as greater than
- underestimateJudge too low
- misreadInterpret text incorrectly
malfunction · fault · failure · anomaly · glitch · drift · inaccuracy · false reading
Small precise optimization adjustments
- tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy
- alignmentCorrect relative positioning
- correctionFixing of mistakes
- zeroingCalibrating to baseline
resetting · standardization · regulation · trimming · tweaking · optimization · configuration · balancing
inaccuracy
Lack of precision
- imprecisionLack of exactness
- deviationDeparture from expected path
- misalignmentImproper positioning relative to reference
skew · drift · offset · variance · discrepancy · distortion · tolerance · error margin · systematic error · reading
misjudge
Evaluate incorrectly
- misestimateJudge incorrectly
- misreadInterpret text incorrectly
- misconstrueUnderstand incorrectly
misapprehend · overestimate · underestimate · misreckon · misgauge · miscalculation · misperception · bias · assumption · expectation
overshoot
Go beyond intended point
- undershootMiss by insufficient reach
- overestimateJudge as greater than
- underestimateJudge too low
misread · malfunction · fault · failure · anomaly · glitch · drift · inaccuracy · false reading · unreliability
fine-tuning
Small precise optimization adjustments
- tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy
- alignmentCorrect relative positioning
- correctionFixing of mistakes
zeroing · resetting · standardization · regulation · trimming · tweaking · optimization · configuration · balancing · setting