understatement

understatement — UK US /ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt/ noun [C or U] ► a statement that something is much smaller, much less important, or much less serious than it really is: »It s an understatement to say the workers are worried about their futures. with understatement »The… …   Financial and business terms

Understatement — is a form of speech in which a lesser expression is used than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression.Understatement is a staple of humor… …   Wikipedia

understatement — [œndœʀstɛtmənt] n. m. ÉTYM. V. 1960; mot angl. (1799), de under « au dessous », et statement « assertion ». ❖ ♦ Anglic. Affirmation en dessous de la vérité; litote. REM. Terme surtout employé par évocation d une forme d humour et de diplomatie… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Understatement — Un der*state ment, n. The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

understatement — noun conservative estimate, grossly inadequate representation, minimization, misrepresentation, underestimation, undervaluation Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

understatement — 1799, from UNDER (Cf. under) + STATEMENT (Cf. statement). Understated, with ref. to clothing, is recorded from 1957 …   Etymology dictionary

understatement — /andersˈte(i)tment, ingl. ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt/ [vc. ingl., deriv. di to understate «attenuare, minimizzare»] s. m. inv. attenuazione, minimizzazione □ discrezione, sobrietà CONTR. esagerazione, enfasi, ostentazione …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

understatement — n. 1) to make an understatement 2) to go in for understatement 3) (misc.) a masterpiece of understatement; the understatement of the year * * * [ˌʌndə steɪtmənt] the understatement of the year (misc.) a masterpiece of understatement to go in for… …   Combinatory dictionary

understatement — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ gross, massive, vast ▪ ‘A little strange’ is a gross understatement. ▪ typical ▪ with typical British understatement …   Collocations dictionary

understatement — [[t]ʌ̱ndə(r)steɪtmənt[/t]] understatements 1) N COUNT If you say that a statement is an understatement, you mean that it does not fully express the extent to which something is true. To say I m disappointed is an understatement... He was getting… …   English dictionary

Understatement — Untertreibung (engl. Understatement) (der Gegensatz ist Übertreibung) wird oft als Stilmittel eingesetzt. Oft dient eine Litotes der Untertreibung. Auch wird der Begriff Understatement häufig in der Konzeption von Werbung und Marketing benutzt.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia