understatement

English

Etymology

under- +‎ statement

Noun

understatement (usually uncountable, plural understatements)

1. (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.

   Synonym: meiosis

   Antonym: hyperbole

   Hyponym: litotes

   A master of understatement

2. (countable) An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis.

   Now that's an understatement.

   Hyponym: laconism

3. An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.

Related terms

• understate

Translations

statement less than complete

• Czech: zmírnění n
• Esperanto: maltroigo
• Finnish: vähätelmä
• French: litote (fr), peu dire
• German: Untertreibung (de), Tiefstapelei f
• Hebrew: לשון המעטה‎ f (lashón hame'atá)

• Hungarian: enyhe kifejezés, visszafogott megfogalmazás
• Irish: maolaisnéis f
• Polish: niedomówienie, niedookreślenie
• Romanian: litotă (ro) f
• Russian: преуменьше́ние (ru) n (preumenʹšénije)
• Swedish: underdrift (sv) c

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English understatement.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɑn.də(r)ˈsteːt.mənt/ (the realisation may approximate English pronunciation: /ər/ will often be realised as [ɚ] or [ə])

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: un‧der‧state‧ment

Noun

understatement n (plural understatements)

1. understatement

Synonyms

• parabool

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English understatement.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an.derˈstɛjt.ment/, /an.derˈstejt.ment/
• Rhymes: -ɛjtment, -ejtment

Noun

understatement m (invariable)

1. understatement