understate

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English

Etymology

From under- +‎ state.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʌndəˈsteɪt/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: un‧der‧state

Verb

understate (third-person singular simple present understates, present participle understating, simple past and past participle understated)

  1. (transitive) To state (something) with less completeness than needed; to minimise or downplay.
    To call it a calculated bet understates the risk; it is a Hail Mary pass.
  2. (transitive) To state (something) with a lack of emphasis, in order to express irony.
  3. To state a quantity that is too low.
    Coordinate term: underestimate
    The company had been understating its liabilities for years.

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