understatements
[/ˌʌndərˈsteɪtmənts/]
nounpl: understatements
subestimações; afirmações atenuadas; minimizações
1. Statements that represent something as less important, serious, or significant than it actually is; a deliberate presentation of facts in restrained or moderate terms
To call the hurricane devastating would be an understatement; it was catastrophic.
Chamar o furacão de devastador seria uma subestimação; foi catastrófico.
2. The act or practice of describing something in deliberately mild or restrained language, often for ironic or rhetorical effect
His understatements about the financial crisis masked the true severity of the situation.
Suas subestimações sobre a crise financeira encobriam a verdadeira gravidade da situação.
Understatement is particularly valued in British and American communication styles as a form of sophistication and humor. In Brazilian Portuguese culture, while understood, it may be less commonly employed than in Anglo-Saxon contexts, as Brazilian communication tends toward more expressive and emotional directness. The term is widely used in academic, journalistic, and formal business communications in both English and Portuguese-speaking countries.
NYC Slang
playing it cool; downplaying; keeping it real understated
Related Idioms & Phrases
that's an understatement (used when something is even more true than stated)
master of understatement (someone skilled at restraint in expression)
the height of understatement (ironic expression for something very obvious)
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