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understatement
[ uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt- ]
/ ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt- /
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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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Words nearby understatement
understand, understandable, understanding, understate, understated, understatement, understeer, understock, understood, understorey, understory
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use understatement in a sentence
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
Cultural 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.