UNDERSTATEMENT
understatement
(noun) a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
understatement (usually uncountable, plural understatements)
An incomplete statement, particularly
(uncountable, rhetoric) A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is, either through phrasing or lack of emphasis, often for ironic effect; meiosis.
An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis.
An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.
Synonyms
• (rhetorical device): meiosis
Antonyms
• (generally): overstatement
• (rhetorical device): See hyperbole
Hyponyms
• (rhetorical device, stating something by denying its opposite): litotes
• (instance of its use, extreme brevity): laconism
Source: Wiktionary
Un"der*state`ment, n.
Definition: The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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