understatement

Universal Words noun 1 [C] a statement that makes sth seem less important, impressive, serious, etc. than it really is: To say we were pleased is an understatement (= we were extremely pleased). * 'These figures are a bit disappointing.' 'That's got to be the understatement of the year.' 2 [U] the practice of making things seem less impressive, important, serious, etc. than they really are: typical English understatement * He always goes for subtlety and understatement in his movies. OPPOVERSTATEMENT