understate
To describe something as less significant than it actually is
Examples
In a meeting
“The report understates the severity of the budget shortfall.”
Over coffee
“To say I'm a little tired would be to understate it—I'm exhausted!”
Why this word
minimize
Minimize suggests reducing importance or severity; understate specifically means expressing something in restrained terms, making it seem less than it is
downplay
Downplay is more casual and implies intentionally making light of something; understate is more neutral and can describe a stylistic choice or subtle presentation
diminish
Diminish means to actually reduce or make smaller; understate refers only to how something is described or presented, not changing the thing itself
Usage tip
Use when something is described with less intensity than warranted; often deliberate for effect
Etymology
English under- (below, less than) + state (to express in words)
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.