understatement
UK /ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt/ · US /ˌʌndɚˈsteɪtmənt/ noun
Forms understatements
- noun (uncountable, rhetoric) A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is, either through phrasing or lack of emphasis, often for ironic effect. “A master of understatement”
- noun (countable) An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement. “Now that's an understatement.”
- noun An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From under- + statement or understate + -ment.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “understatement”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details