transitive verb. 1 : to represent as less than is the case understate taxable income. 2 : to state or present with restraint especially for effect.

What is it called when you understate something?

Understatement Definition

By definition, an understatement is when you represent something as less than what it is. ... When you make an understatement, the issue at hand is minimalized or made to seem less important or severe.

What does it mean to downplay someone?

To downplay something is to act as if it's not very important. If you're trying to convince your friends to play poker with you, you might downplay the fact that you're an experienced and competitive player.

What is the definition understated?

: avoiding obvious emphasis or embellishment understated elegance. Other Words from understated Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About understated.

What is an understatement example?

An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. For example, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter “I am delighted,” you are making an understatement.

"What is Understatement?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

20 related questions found

What does happy is an understatement mean?

/ˈʌndərsteɪtmənt/ ​[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).

What is the example of Litotes?

Litotes is a figure of speech and a form of understatement in which a sentiment is expressed ironically by negating its contrary. For example, saying "It's not the best weather today" during a hurricane would be an example of litotes, implying through ironic understatement that the weather is, in fact, horrible.

How do you use understated in a sentence?

(1) They exaggerated the enemy's losses and understated their own. (2) They often understated their coal output. (3) She gave a beautifully understated performance as Ophelia. (4) I have always liked understated clothes — simple shapes which take a lot of hard work to get right.

Can not be understated?

Definition of cannot be overstated

—used to say that something is very large or very great The importance of tomorrow's test cannot be overstated.

What is understated design?

If you describe a style, color, or effect as understated, you mean that it is simple and plain, and does not attract attention to itself.

What are examples of downplay?

Downplay meaning

To de-emphasize; to present or portray as less important or consequential. He would sometimes downplay his Princeton education by saying simply that he went to school in New Jersey.

What's another word for downplay?

In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for downplay, like: minimize, play down, foreground, background, understate, minimise, underplay, overstate, denigrate, trivialise and gloss over.

What is the opposite word of downplay?

If you want to say the opposite of 'downplay' you can always use words like: magnify, overstate, exaggerate, amplify.

What is understated beauty?

DEFINITIONS1. not trying to impress people or to attract their attention, and therefore attractive or effective. She dressed with understated elegance.

What is a rhetorical understatement?

An understatement is a transitive verb used by writers or speakers in order to intentionally make a situation seem less important or smaller than it is. ... Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole and overstatement, and helps develop irony and sarcasm in writing or speech. Its first known use was in 1824.

What does proud is an understatement mean?

In this case, if someone is described as "proud", and you say "Proud is an understatement", you are saying "He is more than proud, he is perhaps haughty, high-handed (or any other term that can replace "proud" and is stronger)".

What does it is hard to overstate meaning?

To overstate something is to exaggerate its importance. However some things are so important that it is difficult to praise their influence too much.

What does lead the pack mean?

: to be ahead a runner who is leading the pack/field.

What is the difference between overstated and understated in accounting?

Overstated is the opposite of understated in accounting terminology. Accountants use this term to describe an incorrect reported amount that is higher than the true amount. ... Another account will also have an error, due to the requirements for double-entry accounting.

What does it mean to be underrated?

The definition of underrated is something that has not received the merit, recognition or praise it deserves. A movie that is really very good but that no one really pays attention to or praises is an example of an underrated movie.

What is understated in accounting?

understated in Accounting

If an account or a figure on an account is understated, the amount that is reported on the financial statement is less than it should be. If a loan that ought to have been reported is kept off the books, liabilities will be understated.

How do you spell understate?

verb (used with object), un·der·stat·ed, un·der·stat·ing. to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms: The casualty lists understate the extent of the disaster.

Why would an author use litotes?

Litotes is a common device used in rhetoric. This is primarily because it prompts a listener or reader to carefully consider what is being said. Litotes also allows the speaker or writer to effectively communicate in an atypical way.

Is litotes double negative?

In rhetoric, litotes (/ˈlaɪtətiːz/, US: /ˈlɪtətiːz/ or /laɪˈtoʊtiːz/; also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour) is a figure of speech and form of verbal irony in which understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for ...