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# understatement

«understatement» in Mova's school dictionary: **a way of saying something that makes it sound smaller…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an understatement, understatements; understatement — uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) An understatement is a way of saying something that makes it sound smaller, weaker or less important than it really is. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#m1)

2) Understatement is the habit or style of speaking this way, often for humour or politeness. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In English lessons it is a figure of speech, the opposite of exaggeration (hyperbole); British humour is famous for it. In everyday talk: «That's an understatement!» means the truth is much bigger. In stories it shows a calm or funny character: calling a hurricane «a bit windy».

### examples

- Saying the hurricane was «a bit windy» is an understatement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x1)
- «It's an understatement to say I was hungry – I was starving!» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x2)
- British people are known for understatement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x3)
- The coach called our 10–0 win «not bad», which was an understatement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x4)
- Find the understatement in the poem. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x5)
- To say the test was hard is an understatement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/#x6)

### note

Opposite: «overstatement» or «exaggeration». Not a lie: the speaker and listener both know the truth is bigger. «The understatement of the year» is a joking phrase.

### In the corpora

- [Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole: it makes things sound SMALLER than they are.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement/0/)
- [Understatement means describing something as smaller, milder or less important than it really is, often to sound calm, polite or funny.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/49-a-bit-nippy-and-not-ideal-british-understatement/7/)
- [Not bad at all, kiddo» about 19 out of 20 is understatement (litotes): Dad is proud.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/52-sarcasm-hyperbole-and-understatement-side-by-side/19/)
- [Lewis Carroll and Kenneth Grahame both loved hyperbole and understatement, and they made jokes out of them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/0/)
- [I'm more in the water than out of it most days» — kind understatement that makes the Mole feel better.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/54-off-with-her-head-and-the-finest-house-on-the-river-alice-and-toad/22/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «understatement» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/understatement/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.