understatement

noun/ˈʌndərˌsteɪtmənt/

Frequency rank: #9,012 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

a statement that describes something as less significant or extreme than it really is.

Illustration for the English word “understatement”

Example sentence

Saying the exam was 'a little difficult' after failing it is quite the understatement.

Synonyms & related words

  • minimization
  • underplaying
  • downplaying

More words in ranks 9,001–9,100