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understate

[ uhn-der-steyt ]
/ ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt /
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See synonyms for: understate / understated on Thesaurus.com

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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Origin of understate

First recorded in 1815–25; under- + state

OTHER WORDS FROM understate

un·der·state·ment [uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-], /ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use understate in a sentence

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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