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.

Origin of understatement

Example sentences 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

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.”