to understate

Examples

• All

• To say that the world is in a state of shock this morning would be to understate the situation.

  A Thief in the Night (1972)

• When I said that my memory isn't quite what it was... I think I might have been understating things a bit.

  Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

• But that would so understate the problem as to almost miss the point.

  Academic text (2004)

• When you go through customs, it pays to understate the condition of your ship.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Mainland authorities may also understate figures in order to protect the identity of Taiwan investors.

  Academic text (1991)

• I can't understate how bad it's going to be.

  Meet Kevin

• There is no way to understate the difference that Richie will make in the lives of viewers around the world.

  andrew gold | heretics.

• We wish neither to overstate nor understate the complexity of circumstances facing older people with vision loss.

  Academic text (2006)

• Taking the latter question first, Lemann seems to understate the latent strengths of the sharecroppers.

  Academic text (1991)

• Many experts believe that in his speech, he chose to understate the economic challenges ahead.

Synonyms

U

to underestimate

vsto understate

299 3.1

To think someone or something is less important than they really are

is the act of saying something is smaller rather than merely misjudging it

D

to downplay

vsto understate

59 5.3

Show something as less important or serious than it is

is the neutral description of something as smaller or less serious

M

to minimize

vsto understate

54 4.8

Make something seem less serious or important

focuses simply on describing something as smaller or less serious

T

to trivialize

vsto understate

• US

28 7.0

Make something seem less important or serious

is about stating smaller importance rather than dismissing value completely

T

to take lightly

vsto understate

22 4.2

To treat something as not important or serious

is a descriptive reduction in seriousness rather than an attitude of dismissal

P

to play down

vsto understate

16 4.3

To make something seem less important than it really is

expresses the same reduction but as a plain descriptive move

U

to undervalue

vsto understate

8 4.8

Think something or someone is less important than they really are

is a general descriptive understatement rather than a value judgment

U

to underplay

vsto understate

6 5.3

Make something seem less important than it really is

is the general act of describing something as smaller or less serious

U

to underrate

vsto understate

3 3.7

To think someone has less ability or importance than they really have

is about presenting something as smaller in importance rather than misjudging ability

U

to undersell

vsto understate

2 4.5

Make something seem less important or valuable than it really is

focuses on lowering perceived importance rather than sales or marketing

U

to underrepresent

vsto understate

1 5.8

Show something as less common or important than it really is

is about stating lower importance or seriousness rather than numeric omission

U

to underemphasize

vsto understate

1 6.7

To give too little attention to something

is about describing something as less serious rather than failing to emphasise it

Antonyms

O

to overstate

70 4.2

Say something is bigger or more important than it really is

How Downplayed

to belittle

45 5.0

to trivialize

• US

28 7.0

to minimize

54 4.8

to understate

18 5.2

to downplay

59 5.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology