understate en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ʌndəˈsteɪt/
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂-tu-s ~ *sth₂-téw-s Proto-Italic *status Latin statuslbor. Old French estatbor. Middle English stat English state English understate From under- + state.
Meanings
-
(transitive) To state (something) with less completeness than needed; to minimise or downplay.
To call this decision a calculated bet understates the risk; it is a Hail Mary pass.
-
(transitive) To state (something) with an intentional lack of emphasis, in order to express irony.
She is the queen of understatement: she understated her critique masterfully.
-
To state a quantity that is too low.
The company had been understating its liabilities for years.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| understated | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| understated | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| understates | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| understating | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Antonyms
overthink · stretch · overapproximate · overhold · cut it fat · overstate · overemphasize · exaggerate · overstate · hyperbolize · exaggerate · three-sheet · overcharge · overstate · overdo · overestimate · play up · overstate · overreckon · big up · overrate
Coordinates
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
misunderestimate · downplay · underjudge · belittle · set at nought · minimize · downplay · vilipend · underrate · trivialize · trivialize · de-emphasize · understate · banalize · make little of · underestimate · dispraise · underapproximate · understate · sell short · superficialize · lilliputianize · derogate · bagatellize · degrade · underrate · underguess · play down · deprecate · underplay · make nothing of · cut down · underestimate · denigrate · disparage · underreckon
Translations (17)
ja 矮小化する (to state something with less completeness than needed) · es minimizar (to state something with less completeness than needed) · bg омаловажавам (to state a quantity that is too low) · es infravalorar (to state something with less completeness than needed) · nl onderdrijven (to state something with less completeness than needed) · ru преуменьша́ть (to state something with less completeness than needed) · es subestimar (to state something with less completeness than needed) · pl niedookreślić (to state something with less completeness than needed) · pl niedomówić (to state something with less completeness than needed) · ru недооценивать (to state something with less completeness than needed) · fi vähätellä (to state something with a lack of emphasis, in order to express irony) · bg премълчавам (to state something with less completeness than needed) · fi vähätellä (to state something with less completeness than needed) · de untertreiben (to state something with less completeness than needed) · fi ilmoittaa todellista pienemmäksi (to state a quantity that is too low) · ru занижать (to state something with less completeness than needed) · es frivolizar (to state something with less completeness than needed)