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.

---

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.”

---

Etymology

Origin of understatement

under- + statement

Example Sentences

To say Batty has kept a low profile since retiring in 2004 would be an understatement.

From BBC

“Everybody calls him a glue guy,” Stafford said, “probably an understatement.”

From Los Angeles Times

Calling that process a “show” is an understatement.

From The Wall Street Journal

It would not be an understatement to say that during the latter stages, it was Liverpool who looked like they had two fewer players on the pitch.

From BBC

As for the camp factor, many massive understatements in the script will trigger appreciative howls of laughter.

From The Wall Street Journal