understatement

[uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-]

noun

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.

understatement

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of understatement¹

under- + statement

Example Sentences

Alphabet’s stock has rallied over the past several months, and calling it technically overbought is an understatement.

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“It would be a gross understatement and a blatant denial to refer to serious and sustained attacks against religious communities in Nigeria of this magnitude as anything but acts of religious persecution,” U.S.

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To say he has had a false start at Anfield is a masterpiece of understatement.

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It would be a gross understatement to say that Japan has a major public debt problem.

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The 36-year-old Northern Irishman is right, but "a little weird" is something of an understatement with so much still to be resolved.

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