understatement
[ uhn-der-steyt-muh nt, uhn-der-steyt- ]
/ ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt- /
noun
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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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for understatement
British Dictionary definitions for understatement
understatement
/ (ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt) /
noun
the act or an instance of stating something in restrained terms, or as 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
Word Origin and History for understatement
understatement
1799, from under + statement. Understated, with reference to clothing, is recorded from 1957.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for understatement
understatement
A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than it is: “Hank Aaron was a pretty good ball player.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.