understatement

American  

[uhn-der-stayt-muhnt, uhn-der-stayt-] / ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt- /

noun

• understatements
  plural

1. the act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts.

   The journalist wrote that the earthquake had caused some damage. This turned out to be a massive understatement of the devastation.

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understatement British  

/ ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt /

noun

1. the act or an instance of stating something in restrained terms, or as less than it is

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understatement Cultural  

1. A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than it is: “Hank Aaron was a pretty good ball player.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• understatements
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of understatement

under- + statement

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Explanation

You make an understatement when you say a lot less than you could. If you say "We didn't do our best" when your team loses 56 to 0, that's quite an understatement. An understatement can be just the thing to make someone feel better. For example, if you are a terrible dancer and everyone seems to be pointing and laughing at you, your friend might say your style is unique. She's not lying, but she is making sad truth easier to deal with. Understatement can also be used humorously — if you have a really difficult, scary experience, you might say, "Well, that was interesting."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

understatement understatements

To say I can relate would be an understatement.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

By the end, the hyperbolic term “madman” seems like an understatement for Irwin’s subjects, many of whom are, at a minimum, fantasists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

When Dolly Parton sang, “Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living,” it was an understatement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

"To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement," Raper said in the judgement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

“That’s an understatement to say that what you’ll be doing might be more fun than what I’ll be doing. It will be more fun.”

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

As for the camp factor, many massive understatements in the script will trigger appreciative howls of laughter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

It was one of the greatest understatements of all time.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025

“Obviously, they’re going through some of their own issues,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said Tuesday in one of the understatements of the college football season.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

Those are understatements akin to calling the Amazon a creek or the Grand Canyon a ditch.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2022

I told him no lies, but I told him only half the truth; and if he chooses to indulge mentally in any romantic understatements, why, he is welcome, and bless his simple heart!

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 100, February, 1866 by Various

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