UNDERSTATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does understate mean? 

• UNDERSTATE (verb)
  The verb UNDERSTATE has 1 sense:

1. represent as less significant or important

  Familiarity information: UNDERSTATE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNDERSTATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they understate    ... he / she / it understates   
Past simple: understated   
Past participle: understated   
-ing form: understating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Represent as less significant or important

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

downplay; minimise; minimize; understate

Hypernyms (to "understate" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "understate"):

trivialise; trivialize (make trivial or insignificant)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

overstate (to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth)

Derivation:

understatement (a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said)