Meanings
plural understatements
- rhetoricuncountableusuallyA 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
1 more example
And that mode of expression is very demurring and self-deprecating. Victorian English was all about understatement.
2004, Rowan Manahan, Where's My Oasis?:, page 158 - countableusuallyAn instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement.
Now that's an understatement.
Synonyms: trivialization · Antonyms: exaggeration, overstatement
- uncountableusuallyAn incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA 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.
nounAn instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Czech zmírnění
- zmírněnístatement less than complete
Danish underdrivelse
- underdrivelsestatement less than complete
Dutch understatement
- understatementstatement less than complete
Esperanto maltroigo
- maltroigostatement less than complete
Finnish vähätelmä
- vähätelmästatement less than complete
French litote, peu dire
- litotestatement less than complete
- peu direstatement less than complete
- rien direstatement less than complete
German Untertreibung, Tiefstapelei
- Untertreibungstatement less than complete
- Tiefstapeleistatement less than complete
Hebrew לְשׁוֹן הַמְעָטָה
- לְשׁוֹן הַמְעָטָה (leshón ham'atá)statement less than complete
Hungarian enyhe kifejezés, visszafogott megfogalmazás
- enyhe kifejezésstatement less than complete
- visszafogott megfogalmazásstatement less than complete
Irish maolaisnéis
- maolaisnéisstatement less than complete
Italian eufemismo, ipobole
- eufemismostatement less than complete
- ipobolea figure speech often for ironic effect
Polish niedomówienie, niedookreślenie
- niedomówieniestatement less than complete
- niedookreśleniestatement less than complete
- niedopowiedzeniea figure speech often for ironic effect
Portuguese eufemismo
- eufemismostatement less than complete
Romanian litotă
- litotăstatement less than complete
Russian преуменьше́ние
- преуменьше́ние (preumenʹšénije)statement less than complete
Spanish frivolización, mesura
- frivolizaciónstatement less than complete
- mesuraa figure speech often for ironic effect
- comedimientoa figure speech often for ironic effect
Swedish underdrift
- underdriftstatement less than complete
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with understatement
All rhymes →Cite this entry
understatement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understatement
“understatement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understatement. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “understatement,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/understatement.
Source: understatement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.