understatement

ˌʌndərˈsteɪtmənt

Definition

Definition of understatement - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

minimizing statementstatement making something seem less important than it is

Saying 'It's just a scratch' is an understatement.

downplaying

litotes

underplaying

art

Rare

restraint in artistic expression

Rare

His use of understatement in the painting conveyed a quiet, profound sadness.

minimalism

restraint

subtlety

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Expressions with understatement

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

understatement of the year

statement that greatly downplays a situation's reality

Saying it's chilly in Antarctica is the understatement of the year.

be an understatement

describe something as less severe than it is

Saying it's cold outside would be an understatement.

that's an understatement

exp.

expression of something less severe than it is

"The outage is inconvenient"—that's an understatement after three days without power.

and that is an understatement

exp.

saying something is much less than the real situation

The test was hard, and that is an understatement!

typical British understatement

adj.

showing the British way of downplaying things

Her comment was a typical British understatement of the situation.

Origin of understatement

English, under (below) + statement (expression)

Terms with understatement included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

bit of a

det.

understatement

softens or downplays a description or criticism

that's putting it lightly

exp.

understatement

saying something in a much less strong way than it really is

a thing or two

expertise

understatement of one's expertise

and that's putting it mildly

exp.

emphasis

used to emphasize an understatement

and then some

exp.

idiomatic

used to confirm a statement as an understatement

least we could say

exp.

communication

expresses understatement about a situation or fact

put it mildly

understate

state without exaggeration or understatement

that's putting it mildly

exp.

understatement

expressing something less strongly than the truth

Examples of understatement in a sentence

Saying the concert was 'loud' was an understatement.
The film's understatement made its message more powerful.
Her poetry is known for its subtle understatement.

View all translations of understatement

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:sous-estimation, sobriété, ...
German:Untertreibung, künstlerische Zurückhaltung, ...
Italian:eufemismo, ...
Spanish:subestimación, ...
Portuguese:subestimação, moderação artística, ...
Chinese:轻描淡写, 含蓄的表达, ...
Japanese:控えめな表現, 抑制された表現, ...
Arabic:تَقْلِيل, تَحَفُّظ فَنِّي, ...
Hebrew:לְשׁוֹן הַמְעָטָה, אִפּוּק, ...
Russian:преуменьшение, сдержанность, ...
Ukrainian:применшення, художня стриманість, ...
Hindi:अल्प-आकलन, सयंमित अभिव्यक्ति, ...
Bengali:অবমূল্যায়ন, শিল্পসম্মত সংযম, ...
Catalan:subestimació, contenció artística, ...
Czech:zlehčení, střídmost, ...
Danish:underdrivelse, kunstnerisk tilbageholdenhed, ...
Dutch:understatement, terughoudendheid, ...
Greek:υποτίμηση, καλλιτεχνική συγκράτηση, ...
Hungarian:eufemizmus, visszafogottság, ...
Khmer:ការនិយាយបន្ថយភាពសំខាន់, ភាពសម្រួតសម្រួល, ...
Korean:절제된 표현, 절제미, ...
Persian:کم‌نمایی, بیان هنری با احتیاط, ...
Polish:niedomówienie, niedopowiedzenie, ...
Portuguese (BR):minimização, moderação artística, ...
Romanian:subevaluare, reținere artistică, ...
Swedish:underdrift, konstnärlig återhållsamhet, ...
Thai:การพูดลดความสำคัญ, การยับยั้งทางศิลปะ, ...
Turkish:hafifletme, sanatsal kısıtlama, ...
Vietnamese:nói giảm nói tránh, sự kiềm chế nghệ thuật, ...

Browse the dictionary entries starting with “u”:

understate one's case

understated

understatement of the year

understating

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Definition of understatement - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

Expressions with understatement

Origin of understatement

Terms related to understatement

Terms with understatement included in their meaning

Examples of understatement in a sentence

View all translations of understatement

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery