understatement

noun

un·​der·​state·​ment ˌən-dər-ˈstāt-mənt 

plural understatements

1

: a statement that represents something as smaller or less intense, or less important than it really is : a statement that understates something

To say that I was surprised by this outcome would be an understatement. I was completely blindsided ….

—Russ Becker

It is an understatement to say that the Internet has made life far more convenient for staggeringly many people.

—Cass R. Sunstein

also : the act of understating something or the practice of making such statements

understatement of population growth

To say Britain isn't good at coping with snow would be to exercise British understatement.

—Catherine Mayer

We have been taught to value terseness and understatement …

—Irving Howe

2

: the avoidance of obvious emphasis or embellishment : an understated condition, appearance, etc.

Sure, glamour is still the operative word regarding fashion, but where flamboyance once ruled, there is now understatement and classic elegance.

—Premiere

He capitalizes on his reputation for understatement by saving huge sonorities for significant occasions; as a result, his rare musical outbursts seem not so much theatrical as visceral, as if they were blows sustained in real time.

—Alex Ross

Examples of understatement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To say Netflix has a lot riding on the return of Squid Game is an understatement. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024

To say she was drawn to him would be an understatement, but would this infatuation continue, or was there more substance beyond the bedroom? —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024

And to say the pressure is on would be an understatement. —Dave Quinn, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024

To say there was some formidable competition amongst TVLine’s 2024 crop of contenders for Performer of the Year is an understatement. —Eric Goldman, TVLine, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing understatement

• the understatement of the year