You make an understatement when you say a lot less than you could. If you say "We didn't do our best" when your team loses 56 to 0, that's quite an understatement. An understatement can be just the thing to make someone feel better.

What does a understatement person mean?

1 : a statement that represents something as smaller or less intense, or less important than it really is : a statement that understates something To say that I was surprised by this outcome would be an understatement.

What does it mean to say it's an understatement?

a statement that something is much smaller, much less important, or much less serious than it really is: It's an understatement to say the workers are worried about their futures.

How do you use the word understatement?

1. Saying he had gained a little weight was an understatement since he had put on thirty just last month.
2. To say that getting a home loan with bad credit is a small challenge would be a huge understatement.
3. Calling the affair a small mistake was an understatement the man's wife would resent.

Is an understatement a bad thing?

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishun‧der‧state‧ment /ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt $ -dər-/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable] a statement that is not strong enough to express how good, bad, impressive etc something really is To say the movie was bad is an understatement. 'It wasn't very easy to find the house.

"What is Understatement?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

When can understatement be used?

Understatement is used when a speaker wants to a make a situation seem less strong or important than it is. For example, think about this situation: You have taken ten exams in school and passed them all with a score of 100%.

What is an example of understatement?

An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. For example, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter “I am delighted,” you are making an understatement.

What does happy is an understatement mean?

/ˈʌndərsteɪtmənt/ ​[countable] a statement that makes something seem less important, impressive, serious, etc. than it really is. To say we were pleased is an understatement (= we were extremely pleased).

What is the example of Litotes?

Litotes is a figure of speech and a form of understatement in which a sentiment is expressed ironically by negating its contrary. For example, saying "It's not the best weather today" during a hurricane would be an example of litotes, implying through ironic understatement that the weather is, in fact, horrible.

How do I make an understatement?

A modest understatement would be: "I did OK on that test." You scrape the entire side of your car. A comedic understatement would be: "It is only a small scratch." Describing a huge storm overnight, a comedic understatement would be: "Looks like it rained a bit last night."

What are the types of understatement?

There are two main types of understatement: ironic understatement and, well, non-ironic understatement. In order to fully understand understatement in all its forms, it's important to have a good grasp of these two different ways of using it.

Which of the following best defines understatement?

You make an understatement when you say a lot less than you could. If you say "We didn't do our best" when your team loses 56 to 0, that's quite an understatement. An understatement can be just the thing to make someone feel better.

Is an understatement in a sentence?

To say her filmography, and indeed, her life had been colorful would be something of an understatement . To say that the area is teeming with birds would be an understatement . To say the 1980s were good for Cher is an understatement .

What is a verbal irony?

Verbal irony is a figure of speech. The speaker intends to be understood as meaning something that contrasts with the literal or usual meaning of what he says.

What is a satirical understatement?

A statement which lessens or minimizes the importance of what is meant. For example, if one were in a desert where the temperature was 125 degrees, and if one wee to describe thermal conditions saying "It's a little warm today," that would be an understatement.

Why is litotes used?

Litotes, by definition, are figures of speech that create an understatement by using double negatives. ... Litotes intentionally use understatements to create an ironic effect. They're also double negative statements since they confirm one idea by negating the opposite.

Is litotes double negative?

In rhetoric, litotes (/ˈlaɪtətiːz/, US: /ˈlɪtətiːz/ or /laɪˈtoʊtiːz/; also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour) is a figure of speech and form of verbal irony in which understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for ...

Why is litotes important?

Litotes is a common device used in rhetoric. This is primarily because it prompts a listener or reader to carefully consider what is being said. Litotes also allows the speaker or writer to effectively communicate in an atypical way.

What does missing you is an understatement mean?

Word forms: understatements

countable noun. If you say that a statement is an understatement, you mean that it does not fully express the extent to which something is true. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.

What is a rhetorical understatement?

An understatement is a transitive verb used by writers or speakers in order to intentionally make a situation seem less important or smaller than it is. ... Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole and overstatement, and helps develop irony and sarcasm in writing or speech. Its first known use was in 1824.

What is meant by synecdoche?

Synecdoche refers to a literary device in which a part of something is substituted for the whole (as hired hand for "worker"), or less commonly, a whole represents a part (as when society denotes "high society").

What are 5 examples of personification?

• Lightning danced across the sky.
• The wind howled in the night.
• The car complained as the key was roughly turned in its ignition.
• Rita heard the last piece of pie calling her name.
• My alarm clock yells at me to get out of bed every morning.

What is overstatement and understatement?

As nouns the difference between overstatement and understatement. is that overstatement is an exaggeration; a statement in excess of what is reasonable while understatement is a disclosure or statement that is less than complete.

What are examples of juxtaposition?

Speech. Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showing contrast by concepts placed side by side. An example of juxtaposition are the quotes "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country", and "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate", both by John F.

Is a form of understatement?

Understatement is an expression of lesser strength than what the speaker or writer actually means or than what is normally expected. It is the opposite of embellishment or exaggeration, and is used for emphasis, irony, hedging, or humor. A particular form of understatement using negative syntax is called litotes.