Understatement Definition and Examples

An understatement is a figure of speech that intentionally presents something as being less significant or less of a big deal than it actually is. 

For example, if you are undergoing an extremely difficult time with a divorce, losing your job, and dealing with family problems, saying “I’m having slight difficulties” is an understatement. Or, if you win a million dollars in the lottery and say, “I am pleased,” that is also an understatement. 

Other terms related to understatement include minimization, which is to minimize something, and euphemism, which uses more pleasant words to describe something undesirable or uncomfortable. 

The purpose of an understatement is to downplay the importance of something, sometimes with the goal of evoking humility, but often to produce an ironic effect. This actually brings attention to the object in question, and is usually intended to stir up humor. 

What Is an Example of an Understatement? 

We often use understatements in daily conversation. Some examples include: 

• Describing someone obese: “He’s a little overweight,” or “She’s not too thin.” 
• Describing a severely flooded area: “It rained a little more than usual.” 
• Scoring the highest in a tough physics exam: “It wasn’t too bad.” 
• Describing a scorching desert: “It was a bit hot and sandy.” 

Ironic and Non-Ironic Understatement 

When the understatement reflects a gap between how something appears and how it actually is (think: expectation versus reality!), with the intention of communicating something totally different from what the words mean, it is considered an ironic understatement. 

One example of ironic understatement is when British Airways Flight #9 suffered a malfunction of all four of its engines. The captain gave the following announcement: 

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.” (The flight landed safely with no injuries or casualties.)

On the other hand, a non-ironic understatement describes something less intensely than its real severity. This is common for athletes or contestants who win major competitions and then say “It’s no big deal.” 

A non-ironic understatement also does not have the intention of being funny. This is the type of understatement that most often overlaps with euphemism. 

Examples of Understatement in Literature

Writers also use understatement in literature in order to stir up reader interest by playing on their expectations: instead of having the narrator or character react strongly to an event, it’s the downplaying of the event piques the reader’s attention. 

Example #1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

“I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”

In this novel, Holden Caulfield has a tumor in his brain, which is actually a very serious issue. But he undermines its importance by saying it isn’t very serious, as well as by describing it as a “tiny little” tumor. 

Example #2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

“I’ve got a nice place here,” he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly.

Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore.

In this excerpt, Tom Buchanan, the very wealthy husband of Daisy, is showing the narrator around his house. The character speaks in an understated way, but the narrator himself gives a more elaborate description of the property. 

Example #3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Let me not think on ’t. Frailty, thy name is woman!—

A little month, or ere those shoes were old

With which she followed my poor father’s body,

Like Niobe, all tears. Why she, even she—

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have mourned longer!—married with my uncle,

My father’s brother, but no more like my father

Than I to Hercules. Within a month,

Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears

Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,

She married. O most wicked speed, to post

With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!

It is not nor it cannot come to good,

But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue. 

In this scene, Hamlet is bemoaning the fact that, in a very short time since his father’s demise, his mother already remarried his uncle. But instead of being melodramatic about it, Shakespeare uses understatements, which ironically makes this one of the most impactful scenes.  

Difference Between Understatement and Anticlimax 

Understatement can easily be confused with another literary device called anticlimax. The main difference is that the anticlimax involves building up expectations through the previous phrases or sentences, and then it intentionally disappoints the readers. 

For example, the comedian Woody Allen is quoted with the following lines: 

“I have taken to violent choking and fainting. My room is damp and I have perpetual chills and palpitations of the heart. I have noticed, too, that I am out of napkins.”

The last line, referring to table napkins, is a letdown because it does not, as expected, build up to the climax of the description of his physical ailment. 

Using Understatement 

Using literary devices like understatement, sarcasm, and irony is a great way of adding color to your writing. It is especially effective when you want to bring special attention to a specific detail or event. 

In order to be more creative in your writing, you might also consider studying up on all the other figures of speech, to see which ones work best for your needs. 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• 17 of the Most Common Literary Devices Every Reader and Writer Should Know
• Chiasmus: Definition and Examples
• Consonance: Definition and Examples
• Anaphora: How to Use Strategic Repetition in Writing