understatement

Dictionary: un·der·state·ment (ŭn'dər-stāt'mənt, ŭn'dər-stāt'-) pronunciation

A disclosure or statement that is less than complete.
Restraint or lack of emphasis in expression, as for rhetorical effect.
Restraint in artistic expression.

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A form of irony in which something is intentionally represented as less than it is: “Hank Aaron was a pretty good ball player.”

WordNet: understatement

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
Antonym: overstatement (meaning #1)

Wikipedia: Understatement

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Understatement is a form of speech in which a lesser expression is used than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression.

Understatement is a staple of humor in English-speaking cultures, especially in British humour. For example, in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, a suburban dinner party is invaded by Death, who wears a long black cloak and carries a scythe. He is the Grim Reaper; the party is over; the guests must all go with him. "Well," says one party guest, "that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?" In another scene, an Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, "Stings a bit."

Notable historic examples

Event: The well-known Victorian critique of Cleopatra's behavior: "So unlike the home life of our own dear Queen!"^{[citation needed]}

Event: During the Kuala Lumpur to Perth leg of British Airways Flight 9 on 24 June 1982, volcanic ash causes all four engines of the Boeing 747 aircraft to fail. Although pressed for time as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, Captain Eric Moody still managed to make an announcement to the passengers. Comment: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."^{[citation needed]}

Event: A 2006 interview regarding current affairs in the Middle East with the Egyptian Foreign Minister. Comment by the Foreign Minister: "I think there's a problem between Shias and Sunnis". (BBC World Service, 23:50, Australian Eastern Standard Time, May 18, 2006)

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Grammar Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Understatement". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

understatement

Notable historic examples

See also