understatement

noun

Definition of understatementnext
1
as in meiosis

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2
as in restraint

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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 Hood said capital expenditures in Q1 will exceed $50 billion, but that figure is actually an understatement. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 29 July 2026 Wallace Chan, Shanghai, July 2026 Prepare yourself for serious exercise as to say the show is extensive is an understatement. — Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 To say Biden has been leaning into his past transgressions and addressing them head-on would be an understatement. — Usa Today, USA Today, 27 July 2026 To say the Braves need starting pitching would be an understatement, given the plethora of injuries to their pitching staff. — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for understatement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understatement
  1. meiosis
  2. restraint
  3. disparagement
  4. severity
  5. modesty
  6. moderation
  7. simplicity
  8. plainness
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
Definition of meiosis
Noun
  • If your motivation is to prevent someone else from continuing to live a lie, approach the situation with restraint.
    — Jann Blackstone, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Exchanges would also need to implement new trading restraints.
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of restraint
Noun
  • Asserting claims for tortious interference, civil conspiracy, commercial disparagement and violations of Illinois consumer fraud laws, the Butlers sought more than $50 million in compensatory damages and over $200 million in punitive damages.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
  • These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Definition of disparagement
Noun
  • Chapman, 33, should know Monday the severity of a hernia and a core muscle tear in his right abdomen.
    — Devin Bradshaw, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Since October 2023, the number and severity of settler attacks have skyrocketed, including arson and other destruction of property, the killing of livestock, violent assaults and murder, taking place almost every day.
    — Kamel Musallet, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • His modesty has not changed over the past eight months, despite signing for Barcelona, becoming the youngest player to represent Egypt at the World Cup and scoring a double for his new club’s first team.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • That means no social media accounts, personal possessions or handling money, and the practice of celibacy and modesty.
    — Deepa Bharath, Fortune, 17 July 2026
Definition of modesty
Noun
  • However, a moderation error caused a delay in the livestream’s removal.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Just as social media has no value without people, content moderation can’t succeed without human judgment at the forefront.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of moderation
Noun
  • Delicate Japanese simplicity prevails while leaving whispers of the original French palatial style—such as distinctive moldings that are unique to the building.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In general, higher-performing LED systems dominate the top of the ratings, while older halogen designs tend to cluster at the bottom, constrained by lower output and less precise beam control, despite offering advantages in simplicity and cost.
    — Matthew MacConnell, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of simplicity
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
Definition of plainness

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Cite this Entry

“Understatement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understatement. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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