understatement
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
NounEdit
understatement (usually uncountable, plural understatements)
- (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.
- (countable) An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis.
- Now that's an understatement.
- Hyponym: laconism
- An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
statement less than complete
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DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from English understatement.
PronunciationEdit
- 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
NounEdit
understatement n (plural understatements)
SynonymsEdit
ItalianEdit
EtymologyEdit
Unadapted borrowing from English understatement.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
understatement m (invariable)
ReferencesEdit
- ^ understatement in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)