英和和英

発音

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˌʌndəˈsteɪtmənt/
• (General American) IPA: /ˌʌndɚˈsteɪtmənt/
• 韻: -eɪtmənt
• ハイフネーション: un‧​der‧state‧ment

名詞

understatement (usually uncountable, plural understatements)

1. (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.

   Synonym: meiosis

   Antonyms: auxesis, hyperbole

   Hyponym: litotes

   A master of understatement

   • 2004, Rowan Manahan, Where's My Oasis?:, page 158:

     And that mode of expression is very demurring and self-deprecating. Victorian English was all about understatement.

2. (countable) An instance of such phrasing or lack of emphasis; an incomplete statement.

   Synonym: trivialization

   Antonyms: exaggeration, overstatement

   Hyponym: laconism

   Now that's an understatement.

3. An incomplete disclosure that intentionally withholds relevant information.

等位語

• do a lot of work
• litote
• to say the least

派生語

• misunderstatement