Standard Lemma guide

understatement

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt/
  • General-American: /ˌʌndɚˈsteɪtmənt/
  • Midwestern-US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪtmənt
  • CMU ARPABET: AH1 N D ER0 S T EY2 T M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rhetoric, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • A master of understatement

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: meiosis

Antonyms: auxesis, hyperbole

2

noun

Meaning 2

An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, usually

Examples

  • Now that's an understatement.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trivialization

Antonyms: exaggeration, overstatement

3

noun

Meaning 3

An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: overstatement

Broader terms: statement

Narrower terms: litotes, meiosis

History

Etymology

From under- + statement or understate + -ment.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: zmírnění — statement less than complete
  • Danish: underdrivelse — statement less than complete
  • Esperanto: maltroigo — statement less than complete
  • Finnish: vähätelmä — statement less than complete
  • French: litote — statement less than complete
  • French: peu dire — statement less than complete
  • French: rien dire — statement less than complete
  • German: Untertreibung — statement less than complete
  • German: Tiefstapelei — statement less than complete
  • Hebrew: לְשׁוֹן הַמְעָטָה (leshón ham'atá) — statement less than complete
  • Hungarian: enyhe kifejezés — statement less than complete
  • Hungarian: visszafogott megfogalmazás — statement less than complete
  • Irish: maolaisnéis — statement less than complete
  • Italian: eufemismo — statement less than complete
  • Polish: niedomówienie — statement less than complete
  • Polish: niedookreślenie — statement less than complete
  • Portuguese: eufemismo — statement less than complete
  • Romanian: litotă — statement less than complete
  • Russian: преуменьше́ние (preumenʹšénije) — statement less than complete
  • Spanish: frivolización — statement less than complete
  • Swedish: underdrift — statement less than complete
  • Italian: ipobole — a figure speech often for ironic effect
  • Spanish: mesura — a figure speech often for ironic effect
  • Spanish: comedimiento — a figure speech often for ironic effect