understatement

Definition of understatementnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of understatement Somber would be an understatement for the postgame mood around the other starting quarterback. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 To say Teagan has her work cut out for her is an understatement. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 After a brief moment, Cristobal instead gave perhaps the understatement of the night. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 The result is a one-of-a-kind pattern, infused with Cucinelli’s signature mix of understatement and richness. — Jon Roth, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for understatement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understatement
Noun
  • Chromosome pairs are also essential for meiosis, the specialized type of cell division that produces sperm and eggs.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026
  • The media business always goes through some splitting of cells — meiosis and mitosis — but every industry leader concedes that consolidation is especially needed today.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • The African Union urged Ethiopia and its neighbors to exercise restraint as growing tensions threaten to destabilize the region.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Another worker was seen preparing food without a proper hair restraint, though this was corrected.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Iamaleava could have allowed the disparagement to compound, but the starting signal-caller is using it as fuel for a 2026 season where many have the Bruins painted as a potential dark horse.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Her mother, meanwhile, is backed up by her second husband (Kwon), a mild-mannered documentary filmmaker whose profession gives his wife yet more ammunition in her smiling disparagement of Sanghee.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Meta classified the incident as Sev 1, its second-highest severity level.
    — Drew Naukam, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Areas at high risk of flooding and where few people are insured tend to be poorer, experts said, as are areas where FEMA's flood maps don't properly convey the severity of the risk or mandate that enough people buy coverage.
    — MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In those early auditions, an unsuspecting superpower came from Kendrick’s radical modesty.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Politicians, especially ones running for office, aren’t big on modesty.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Bumble also describes Deception Detector as a system intended to identify and prevent potentially misleading activity, supported by human moderation.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Even though maple syrup is the healthier option, remember that moderation is key—both white table sugar and maple syrup are considered added sugars, and should be limited to maintain a healthy diet.
    — Carley Millhone, HEALTH, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But the beautiful simplicity of East of Eden has always been its idea that nothing is finished.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • These poems are made with some of the simplicity and directness of a song.
    — Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The sheer fact of filming fills a frame, even one composed with quasi-documentary plainness, with a plethora of details of narrative, expressive, aesthetic, intellectual, and historical import.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • To understand why men might have adopted a clothing system that prioritized plainness and conformity over color and change, this book investigates the gradual crystallization of this civic uniform of masculinity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Understatement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understatement. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!