understate
[ uhn-der-steyt ]
/ ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt /
verb (used with object), un·der·stat·ed, un·der·stat·ing.
to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms: The casualty lists understate the extent of the disaster.
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Nearby words
underspin, understaffed, understand, understandable, understanding, understate, understated, understatement, understeer, understock, understood
Related formsun·der·state·ment [uhn-der-steyt-muh nt, uhn-der-steyt-] /ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for understate
British Dictionary definitions for understate
understate
/ (ˌʌndəˈsteɪt) /
verb
to state (something) in restrained terms, often to obtain an ironic effect
to state that (something, such as a number) is less than it is
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for understate
understate
1824, from under + state (v.). Related: Understated (of fashions, etc., from 1957); understating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper