Understate (Verb)
Meaning
Represent as less significant or important.
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The severity of the damage was being deliberately underplayed, but experts knew it was worse than reported.
- She tried to understate her achievement, but everyone knew her hard work had paid off.
- His complaints about the food at the restaurant, where he just got food poisoning, seemed to understate his real feelings.
- The financial report was intentionally drawn to understate losses and overstate gains, attracting many unsuspecting investors.
- To make the task sound more appealing, the instructor chose to understate the required workload and difficulty.