Underexpressing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Displaying or conveying less emotion or information than expected or appropriate; producing a weaker or subtler response or message than typical; failing to communicate fully or vividly in expression or presentation
2. Exhibiting a reduced intensity of communicated feeling or detail; presenting ideas or emotions in a restrained or minimal way; not fully articulating thought or sentiment in speech, writing, or behavior
3. Characterized by insufficient or muted expression of thoughts, feelings, or data; delivering content with limited emphasis or subtlety; showing a restrained approach to conveying meaning or emotional content

Etymology: "Express" comes from Latin "exprimere," meaning "to press out," formed from "ex-" (out) and "premere" (to press). Its literal sense survives in squeezing juice out of fruit, and the figurative sense of pressing a feeling or thought out into words or action grew from that physical act. Adding "under-," which marks something as insufficient or below what is expected, gives "underexpress," to press out less than is due. The "-ing" ending is the present participle, so "underexpressing" names the ongoing act of showing or conveying less than the situation calls for.

Synonyms: undervaluing, understating, downplaying, minimizing, ignoring

Antonyms: overexpressing, exaggerating, emphasizing, highlighting, accentuating