understate
verb (used with object)
to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms.
is understating
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present progressiveof understate (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To say the inevitable occurs is understating the case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
It’s also conceivable that the Opportunity Insights study is understating how much low-income families have cut back.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2020
To call his retelling tedious is understating the problem.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2020
When del Bosque says the team is in “one of its best-ever phases,” he surely is understating the players once again.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2013
Stoppard calls her "the little dynamo", but this is understating the matter.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 3, 2011
