(v. t.) To state or represent less strongly than may be done truthfully.
Example Sentences:
(1) The former soldiers we spoke to, and their families, fear a report that will understate combat-related PTSD as a contributory factor.
(2) They are compared with reported incidence of lesions from the Onchocerciasis Control Programme: they are in good agreement for those aged under 30 years, but they understate the observed decline in older subjects.
(3) Sue: Troughton's taste in hats make that fez look positively understated.
(4) A small number of contactless transactions could be made before the card is blocked However, the figure could understate the true level of losses as many customers are unaware that they can still be defrauded after reporting a card as stolen or lost.
(5) He may be quiet and he may be understated, but he is ruthlessly competitive with a relentless drive towards one aim: to succeed.
(6) She talks about her "feminine and understated" negotiating style, and how helpful it is, though frankly, her immediate stance on Greece – belt up and get on with it – won't strike protesting Greeks as at all understated, I shouldn't think.
(7) "The full impact of the coalition government's planned fiscal tightening has been understated," said John Philpott, chief economist at the CIPD.
(8) That enthusiasm for elegant, understated clothing and bags has paid off, as Prada has bucked the downturn to open stores around the world – 63 in the year to last September – and rack up €409m (£352m) in profit in the first three quarters of 2012, a huge rise of 50% year on year, boosted by an increase of 41% in Asian sales.
(9) Her calm, understated style is perfect for Aberdovey, and would not be out of place in coolest Cornwall or even California, where she and husband Gareth used to live.
(10) "Had General Dostum gone to another ticket, my winning would have become theoretical," Ghani said in the conservatory of his understated home in west Kabul, shortly before the Helmand gathering.
(11) This had the effect of incorrectly understating both our receipts and payments as reported on the original return which have now been corrected in the amended return.” “We have implemented measures to ensure that these errors are not repeated in future annual returns.” The donation amendments were revealed by DisclosureBot , a Twitter bot that tweets whenever political parties file donation amendments , or when politicians update their register of interests.
(12) One wonders what his defense minister Ehud Barak and the former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, and other Israeli leaders who disagree with him in his analysis of the urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat, think of his public commitment to such a fraught – that understates it – such a perilous and perhaps impracticable military operation.
(13) But the more understated David Tanner, GB Rowing performance director, and sailing's ebullient Stephen Park have been equally influential in their own sports.
(14) VW could face billions in car tax repayments over latest CO2 scandal Read more VW admitted in September to cheating tests for emissions of nitrogen oxides and the scandal widened with the company’s revelation last week that it had also understated carbon dioxide emissions.
(15) My friends and the teachers were just the same, and in my science class we managed to watch the game again.” To say Ibe is close to his parents would be understating the case.
(16) Statistical association of alleles may cause estimates based on the assumption of statistical independence to understate the true matching probabilities by many orders of magnitude.
(17) To the extent that the implant superimposition is to be considered the true and correct one, the anatomical best fit superimposition appears to understate the true downward remodeling of the palate by an average of about 0.3 and 0.4 mm per year, although this value differs at different ages and timepoints.
(18) Bottle Rocket , a heist movie released in 1996, was understated, amusing, very original and a commercial flop.
(19) If so, it would seem likely to overcome one of the most understated but nonetheless greatest difficulties associated with molecular modelling and computer-aided drug design--reproducibility.
(20) Happy Valley review: understated, refreshing – and with bodies already piling up Read more This should come as no surprise given that Sally Wainwright , the show’s creator, has been responsible for what feels like every British hit save for Downton Abbey in the past few years: Last Tango in Halifax , which also played well in the US; and the crime drama Scott and Bailey .
Understatement
Definition:
(n.) The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth.
Example Sentences:
(1) RBS chief executive Ross McEwan apologised to consumers: “To say I’m angry would be an understatement.
(2) To say that the loss of BB King is devastating to the blues community is an understatement.
(3) With understatement, he added: "I don't feel comfortable."
(4) Heaton’s recollections are heavy on understatement.
(5) Since that strangely undeserved result in Madrid last November, PSG have gone on a run that makes convincing seem like an understatement.
(6) With some understatement, Thompson said: "We've weathered a series of lively storms and been through some trying as well as some very successful times together.
(7) In light of the opening episode, that seems like an understatement.
(8) That the act outraged public decency is an understatement.
(9) Unfortunately, we had to lower the number of people,” he says, in something of an understatement, adding that he used redeployment and natural turnover as much as possible.
(10) He starts by discussing the economic climate – saying that eurozone economic growth remains "weak" (an understatement), with fears over the crisis weighing on confidence and sentiment.
(11) Furthermore, perhaps calling Corbyn a “harsh critic” is an understatement in light of some of his statements.
(12) Courtesy the estate of Richard Hamilton That Hamilton was anti-capitalist is an understatement.
(13) That is an understatement because the expectations were high.
(14) To say that the 170-year history of the Co-op Group is complicated would be a howling understatement.
(15) Late-night tales: how a new crop of TV hosts is reinventing an old format Read more First, to say it’s a “hit” is an understatement – it’s a phenomenon.
(16) And to say Fifa has been dismayed by this burst of democratic dissent is an understatement.
(17) It will be difficult to keep them all happy.” That might be the understatement of the year.
(18) Volunteer complaints panel To say the public has little faith in the Independent Police Complaints Commission would be an understatement.
(19) With the organisation reeling from a string of corruption allegations against 10 of the 24-man executive committee, Jérôme Valcke , Fifa's secretary general, admitted with grim understatement that Fifa's reputation is: "Not at its highest."
(20) Fits like a brick To say that it is unclear quite how Beats and Apple would fit is be an understatement.