Understate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ʌndəˈsteɪt/

Definitions

1. To describe or present something in a way that makes it seem less important or less serious than it really is
2. To deliberately or unintentionally minimize the significance or severity of an event or fact
3. To state or show something with less emphasis or intensity than what is warranted by the actual situation

Etymology: "Understate" is a plain compound: the prefix "under-", meaning "less than what is due" or "beneath", attached to "state", which in English goes back through Middle English "stat" and Old French "estat" to Latin "status", a standing or condition. To understate something is therefore to state it at less than its full weight, which is why the verb is used for playing down seriousness. The prefix is the older and more widely shared half of the word. "Under" descends from Old English, and the "under-" prefix has long been used to form verbs where the action falls short of, or sits beneath, the full measure, as in "undervalue" and "underestimate". "Understate" follows that pattern, with the sense of pitching a statement lower than the facts warrant.

Synonyms: downplay, minimize

Antonyms: exaggerate, overstate