- 1[countable] a statement that makes something seem less important, impressive, serious, etc. than it really is To say we were pleased is an understatement (= we were extremely pleased). ‘These figures are a bit disappointing.’ ‘That's got to be the understatement of the year.’ Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivegross, massive, vast, … phrasesa bit of an understatement, something of an understatement, the understatement of the century, … See full entry
- 2[uncountable] the practice of making things seem less impressive, important, serious, etc. than they really are typical English understatement He always goes for subtlety and understatement in his movies. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivegross, massive, vast, … phrasesa bit of an understatement, something of an understatement, the understatement of the century, … See full entry opposite overstatementExtra examples To say he wasn’t amused must be the understatement of the year. with typical British understatement ‘These figures are a bit disappointing.’ ‘That’s got to be the understatement of the year.’ To say we were pleased is an understatement.
understatement
nounBrE BrE//ˈʌndəsteɪtmənt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈʌndərsteɪtmənt//
Check pronunciation: understatement
