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understatement

 - 4 dictionary results

un⋅der⋅state

  [uhn-der-steyt]
Use understatement in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -stat⋅ed, -stat⋅ing.
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:
1815–25; under- + state

Related forms:
un⋅der⋅state⋅ment  [uhn-der-steyt-muhnt, uhn-der-steyt-] noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To understatement
un·der·state·ment   (ŭn'dər-stāt'mənt, ŭn'dər-stāt'-)   
n.  

  1. A disclosure or statement that is less than complete.

  2. Restraint or lack of emphasis in expression, as for rhetorical effect.

  3. Restraint in artistic expression.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

understatement

A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than it is: “Hank Aaron was a pretty good ball player.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

understatement 
1799, from under + statement. Understated, with ref. to clothing, is recorded from 1957.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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