Meaning

3 senses
  1. (rhetoric, uncountable, usually)A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is, either through phrasing or lack of emphasis, often for ironic effect.

    A master of understatement

    Untertreibung, Tiefstapelei

    преуменьше́ниеpreumenʹšénije

  2. (countable, usually)An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement.

    Now that's an understatement.

  3. (uncountable, usually)An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.

More definitions
  • a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said

Examples

21 sentences
  1. That may be an understatement.

    Це може бути применшенням. — deniko

  2. That's an understatement.

    Це ще м'яко сказано. — deniko

    ruЭто мягко сказано. — marafon

  3. That's something of an understatement.

  4. That would be an understatement.

    ruЭто было бы преуменьшением. — odexed

  5. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

    deÜber- ist eine milliardemal schlimmer als Untertreibung. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

Translations

7 languages
Русский
By meaning 1
statement less than complete:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
statement less than complete:

Origin

From under- + statement or understate + -ment.

From under- + statement or understate + -ment.

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understatement — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto