understatement
Example Sentences
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Rory McIlroy made it abundantly clear, even if saying that he is "not fond" of the two time US Open champion is probably a considerable understatement.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The chances of a life as complex and purposefully incongruent as Madonna’s fitting into one feature-length film — even two or three — are slim, and even that’s an understatement.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
To say he’ll be missed by investors, and many others, is an understatement.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
The long-suffering younger Forster described his father, in an understatement, as having “a tendency toward self-love, pride, and a certain scholarly vanity.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Actually, “serious trouble” may have been an understatement.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
As for the camp factor, many massive understatements in the script will trigger appreciative howls of laughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
It was one of the greatest understatements of all time.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025
Those are understatements akin to calling the Amazon a creek or the Grand Canyon a ditch.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2022
In the world of understatements, saying there’s a lot of television out there has to rank among the boldest.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2022
"Do you often make understatements like that, Lord Virzal?"
From Last Enemy by H. Beam Piper
Vocabulary lists containing understatement
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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The Giver
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Rhetoric
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