understatement

noun

un·​der·​state·​ment ˌən-dər-ˈstāt-mənt 

plural understatements

1

: a statement that represents something as smaller or less intense, or less important than it really is : a statement that understates something

It is an understatement to say that the Internet has made life far more convenient for staggeringly many people.

—Cass R. Sunstein

also : the act of understating something or the practice of making such statements

understatement of population growth

To say Britain isn't good at coping with snow would be to exercise British understatement.

—Catherine Mayer

We have been taught to value terseness and understatement …

—Irving Howe

2

: the avoidance of obvious emphasis or embellishment : an understated condition, appearance, etc.

Sure, glamour is still the operative word regarding fashion, but where flamboyance once ruled, there is now understatement and classic elegance.

—Premiere

He capitalizes on his reputation for understatement by saving huge sonorities for significant occasions; as a result, his rare musical outbursts seem not so much theatrical as visceral, as if they were blows sustained in real time.

—Alex Ross

Examples of understatement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Childhood home To say Dolly Parton had humble beginnings would be an understatement. —Claudia Williams, Architectural Digest, 10 June 2026

To say Kansas City is excited for Messi to be in town is an understatement. —Alexa Stone june 9, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2026

Calling this a standard bookcase is an understatement. —Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026

By contrast, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be competing at the tournament for only the second time and to say there is a degree of excitement among fans at home would be something of an understatement. —Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing understatement

• the understatement of the year

Rhymes for understatement

• abatement
• affreightment
• misstatement
• restatement
• overstatement
• reinstatement
• statement