understate
verb
un·der·state
ˌən-dər-ˈstāt 
understated; understating; understates
1
: to represent as less than is the case
understate taxable income
2
: to state or present with restraint especially for effect
Examples of understate in a Sentence
He understated his taxable income.
She's trying to understate the issue.
Recent Examples on the Web
The term historic may be understated for a city that can trace its origins, as a continuous settlement, to the first millennium BCE.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Andrew Higgins, an aerospace engineer at McGill University, worries that the LEGO-like way that SR-1 Freedom has been planned—with lots of parts from different, unrelated projects just waiting to be bolted together—vastly understates the challenge ahead.
—David W. Brown, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
The energy impact of this shift cannot be understated, particularly in a country that is the world’s biggest importer of fossil fuels, that maintains the world’s largest highway network, and where road freight accounts for nearly three-quarters of all freight by volume.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
The Colorado River, which runs through the canyon and can be misleadingly understated when viewed from high altitude, established its course approximately 6 million years ago.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for understate
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Andrew Higgins, an aerospace engineer at McGill University, worries that the LEGO-like way that SR-1 Freedom has been planned—with lots of parts from different, unrelated projects just waiting to be bolted together—vastly understates the challenge ahead.
—David W. Brown, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
The energy impact of this shift cannot be understated, particularly in a country that is the world’s biggest importer of fossil fuels, that maintains the world’s largest highway network, and where road freight accounts for nearly three-quarters of all freight by volume.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
The Colorado River, which runs through the canyon and can be misleadingly understated when viewed from high altitude, established its course approximately 6 million years ago.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for understate
Cite this Entry
“Understate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/understate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
understate
verb
un·der·state
ˌən-dər-ˈstāt
1
: to represent as less than is the case
understate taxable income
2
: to state mildly especially on purpose
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