understate
to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms: The casualty lists understate the extent of the disaster.
Origin of understate
1Other words from understate
- un·der·state·ment [uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-], /ˌʌn dərˈsteɪt mənt, ˈʌn dərˌsteɪt-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use understate in a sentence
It is probable that Williams under-stated the revenue, but it is certain that the income, apart from gratuities, was insufficient.
A Book About Lawyers | John Cordy JeaffresonWhether they are on the whole exaggerated or under-stated, it is now impossible to say.
Black Rebellion | Thomas Wentworth HigginsonBut an accident,” says he, “occurring again and again in the same manner under stated conditions ceases to be such.
The Book of Khalid | Ameen Rihani
British Dictionary definitions for understate
/ (ˌʌndəˈsteɪt) /
to state (something) in restrained terms, often to obtain an ironic effect
to state that (something, such as a number) is less than it is
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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