understate
verb/ʌndəˈsteɪt/
Etymology From under- + state.
1
To state (something) with less completeness than needed; to minimise or downplay.
- To call this decision a calculated bet understates the risk; it is a Hail Mary pass.
2
To state (something) with an intentional lack of emphasis, in order to express irony.
- She is the queen of understatement: she understated her critique masterfully.
3
To state a quantity that is too low.
- The company had been understating its liabilities for years.
- Derived terms
- misunderstate, understater
- Related terms
- understated, understatement