Meanings
present singular third person understates · participle present understating · participle past understated · past understated
- transitiveTo state (something) with less completeness than needed; to minimise or downplay.
To call this decision a calculated bet understates the risk; it is a Hail Mary pass.
Synonyms: downplay, trivialize, bagatellize, banalize, belittle, cut down, de-emphasize, denigrate · Antonyms: overstate, exaggerate, big up, cut it fat, exaggerate, hyperbolize, overcharge, overdo
- To state a quantity that is too low.
The company had been understating its liabilities for years.
Synonyms: underrate, underrate, misunderestimate, sell short, underapproximate, underestimate, underguess, underjudge · Antonyms: overstate, overapproximate, overestimate, overhold, overrate, overreckon, overstate, overthink
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo state (something) with less completeness than needed; to minimise or downplay.
verbTo state a quantity that is too low.
More synonyms by meaning
verbrepresent as less significant or important
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁entér
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂én
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰí
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰér
- Proto-Germanic*under
- Proto-West Germanic*undar
- Old Englishunder-
- Middle Englishunder-
- Englishunder-
- Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*stéh₂-tu-s ~ *sth₂-téw-s
- Proto-Italic*status
- Latinstatu
- Old Frenchestat
- Middle Englishstat
- Englishstate
- Englishunderstate
Translations
Bulgarian премълчавам, омаловажавам
- премълчавам (premălčavam)to state something with less completeness than needed
- омаловажавам (omalovažavam)to state a quantity that is too low
Dutch onderdrijven
- onderdrijvento state something with less completeness than needed
Finnish vähätellä, vähätellä
- vähätelläto state something with less completeness than needed
- vähätelläto state something with a lack of emphasis, in order to express irony
- ilmoittaa todellista pienemmäksito state a quantity that is too low
German untertreiben
- untertreibento state something with less completeness than needed
Japanese 矮小化する
- 矮小化する (waishōka suru)to state something with less completeness than needed
Polish nie domówić, nie dookreślić
- nie domówićto state something with less completeness than needed
- nie dookreślićto state something with less completeness than needed
- nie domówićto state something with a lack of emphasis, in order to express irony
- nie dookreślićto state something with a lack of emphasis, in order to express irony
- zaniżaćto state a quantity that is too low
- zaniżyćto state a quantity that is too low
Russian преуменьша́ть, занижать
- преуменьша́ть (preumenʹšátʹ)to state something with less completeness than needed
- занижать (zanižatʹ)to state something with less completeness than needed
- недооценивать (nedoocenivatʹ)to state something with less completeness than needed
Spanish subestimar, minimizar
- subestimarto state something with less completeness than needed
- minimizarto state something with less completeness than needed
- infravalorarto state something with less completeness than needed
- frivolizarto state something with less completeness than needed
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
understate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understate
“understate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “understate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understate.
Source: understate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.