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Definition
a statement that makes something seem less important or extreme than it is- This was a painful understatement.Bella Forrest -- A Shade of Vampire
- To say everyone had a merry time that day was an understatement.Li Cunxin -- Mao's Last Dancer
- Understatement of the year.Lauren Oliver -- Before I Fall
- That's an understatement.Rick Riordan -- The Son of Neptune
- An understatement, if ever there was one.Judy Blume -- In the Unlikely Event
- "I think that's an understatement," Mack chuckled.William P. Young -- The Shack
- Emptiness and boredom: what an understatement.Susanna Kaysen -- Girl Interrupted
- A few minutes after entering Langa, we stopped in front of an understated white home in the middle of Mshumpela Street.Wes Moore -- The Other Wes Moore
- That's an understatement.Lois Lowry -- The Giver
- Its bell was quiet, the understated sound lending an eerie emphasis.Robert Ludlum -- The Bourne Identity
- She was wearing an understated floral hat, in a pastel color, that contrasted with the white of her hair.Laura Esquivel -- Like Water for Chocolate
- Finally we hit bottom with an understated wh00000m.Rick Riordan -- The Throne of Fire
- Since we've Dumpster-dived for lunch on many occasions, this was an understatement.James Patterson -- The Angel Experiment
- That was the understatement of the century—when the alcohol encounters my face, I jerk back with a yelp.Sara Gruen -- Water for Elephants
- This was an understatement.Erik Larson -- The Devil in the White City
- LINDNER (With understated relief) Thank you.Lorraine Hansberry -- A Raisin in the Sun
- She is tanned, her lips an understated orangey-pink.Margaret Atwood -- Cat's Eye
- Saying I was nervous was a gross understatement.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- C. J. was understating the gravity of the situation.Richard Preston -- The Hot Zone
- Though she knew it was an understatement worthy of someone with Pete Gandy's intelligence, what else was she supposed to say?Nicholas Sparks -- The Guardian
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