{i} representing something less strongly than what the facts would justify, statement expressing something in a restrained manner
The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth
The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is The effect can frequently be humorous
The opposite of hyperbole, understatement (or litotes) refers to a figure of speech that says less than is intended Understatement usually has an ironic effect, and sometimes may be used for comic purposes, as in Mark Twains statement, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated " See also hyperbole, irony
Understatement is the practice of suggesting that things have much less of a particular quality than they really have. He informed us with massive understatement that he was feeling disappointed. typical British understatement
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 very hard to live with, and that's the understatement of the year