Synonyms of understates

understates

verb

present tense third-person singular of understate

as in minimizes

to say that (something) is smaller, less important, etc., than it really is

He understated his taxable income.

She's trying to understate the issue/problem.

Related Words

• minimizes
• underplays
• dismisses
• downplays
• belittles
• denigrates
• disparages
• de-emphasizes
• soft-pedals
• decries
• derogates
• plays down
• depreciates
• deprecates
• runs down
• talks down
• trashes
• cries down
• bad-mouths
• trash-talks
• poor-mouths
• puts down
• kisses off

Dissimilar Words

• overstates
• exaggerates
• elaborates
• overdoes
• magnifies
• stretches
• embellishes
• overdraws
• pads
• embroiders
• hedges
• overemphasizes
• fudges
• overplays
• sensationalizes
• melodramatizes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of understates

Geography alone, though, understates the league’s binational character. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Calling Bezos a Star Trek superfan drastically understates the depth of his attachment to the show. — Jacob Weisberg, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Its valuation remains below McKesson and roughly in line with Cencora , which understates the quality and diversification of Cardinal's business and leaves room for the stock to reach new highs. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Skin Is Several Habits That Support Several Organisms An adult’s skin covers roughly 2 square meters, though that number understates the space actually available. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

But over the last 12 months, inflation has nearly kept pace with hourly wage gains — and that understates the extent of the problem because debt service costs are not included in the consumer price index. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, the official bond tally that’s hitting the market understates all the actual borrowing that’s going on to fund the AI boom. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 July 2026

There are reasons to believe this understates the problem, though. — Andrew E. Busch, The Conversation, 23 July 2026

That split between process and outcomes has left them 90 minutes from something the table understates. — Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 23 May 2026