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.
Words nearby understatement
understand,
understandable,
understanding,
understate,
understated,
understatement,
understeer,
understock,
understood,
understorey,
understory
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.”