understatement

American  

[uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-] / ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt- /

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.

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understatement Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of understatement

under- + statement

Example Sentences

Millersburg will be a hotbed of drama—and not all of it on the stage, where Richard will direct his mother’s funeral with the understatement of Cecil B. DeMille.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to the Constitution and the values that fueled the American Revolution, this is an understatement.

From Salon

As one interviewee says, with some degree of understatement, Sun Ra was “wired a little differently.”

From The Wall Street Journal

To say it was a great success might be an understatement.

From Los Angeles Times

To say the home has seen a lot in the past 15 years is an understatement.

From MarketWatch