Search results
- DictionaryUn·der·state/ˌəndərˈstāt/
verb
- 1. describe or represent (something) as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is: "the press has understated the extent of the problem"
Understate definition: to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms. See examples of UNDERSTATE used in a sentence.
Verb Forms. understate something to state that something is smaller, less important or less serious than it really is. It would be a mistake to understate the seriousness of the problem. The figures probably understate the real unemployment rate.
If you want to make something seem smaller or less important than it really is, you're likely to understate it. If you don't want your grandmother to worry about you, you might be tempted to understate, or downplay, the trouble you've had finding a new job.
5 days ago · verb. If you understate something, you describe it in a way that suggests that it is less important or serious than it really is. The government chooses deliberately to understate the increase in prices. [VERB noun] That understates my commitment to the orchestra. [VERB noun]
Understate definition, to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms: The casualty lists understate the extent of the disaster. See more.
Understate definition: to state or represent less strongly or strikingly than the facts would bear out; set forth in restrained, moderate, or weak terms. See examples of UNDERSTATE used in a sentence.
5 days ago · transitive verb. If you understate something, you describe it in a way that suggests that it is less important or serious than it really is. The government chooses deliberately to understate the increase in prices. Synonyms: play down, diminish, minimize, downgrade More Synonyms of understate. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
