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# understate

verb (understate, understates, understated, understating)

«understate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To understate means to say that something is smaller, less important or less serious than it really is. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#m1)
2. Understated (adjective) also means simple and quiet in style, not showy: «an understated dress». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#m2)

### In the lessons

In English lessons, «understatement» is a figure of speech: saying less than you mean, often for humour («It's a bit wet» in a flood); it is a well-known feature of British humour. In science and news, understating danger or numbers can mislead people. Phrases: «understate the problem», «to say it was hard would be to understate it».

### Examples

- He understated how hurt he was, so no one took him to the nurse. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x1)
- «A bit chilly» understates it — it's freezing! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x2)
- The report understated the number of people affected by the flood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x3)
- Don't understate the danger of thin ice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x4)
- Her clothes were simple and understated. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x5)
- Calling the storm «breezy» was a huge understatement. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/#x6)

### Note

Regular verb: understated. Noun: an understatement. Opposite: overstate, exaggerate. Understatement is not lying when everyone knows the real size; it is a way of being funny or modest.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «understate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«understate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/understate.html) on Mova free.