# Dunning-Kruger effect

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A cognitive bias where an individual with limited knowledge or competence in a specific domain tends to greatly overestimate their own ability relative to objective criteria or the performance of others.

## Etymology
Coined on everything2 in 2002 by user uucp, who in 2005 copied the same entry to Wikipedia under the title Dunning-Kruger syndrome, named for David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University, who studied the phenomenon.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dunning-kruger-effect