understatement
understatement — 名詞
1. a way of speaking or writing in which someone describes a situation or fact usin
輕描淡寫
故意淡化事實的說法
a way of speaking or writing in which someone describes a situation or fact using words that make it seem far less extreme, serious, or intense than it truly is, often creating an ironic or dramatic effect because the listener understands the gap between the mild words and the real situation.
Mira called the earthquake damage 'a bit of a mess' — a massive understatement.
Mira 稱那場地震災情「有點亂」——這絕對是輕描淡寫的說法。
collocation: 'a massive understatement'
To say that Karim was upset by the news is an understatement — he did not speak for three days.
說 Karim 聽到那個消息後只是不高興，實在是太輕描淡寫了——他整整三天不說話。
pattern: 'To say [that X] is an understatement'
The company called the job losses 'a small adjustment' — a gross understatement, analysts said.
該公司將裁員稱為「小幅調整」——分析師表示這是明顯的輕描淡寫。
Calling the wildfire 'a bit of dry weather' is a dangerous understatement after entire towns have burned.
把這場野火說成「天氣稍微乾燥」，在整座城鎮都燒毀後，是很危險的輕描淡寫。
Rafael called his fall from the ladder 'a minor slip' — his broken arm showed that was an understatement.
Rafael 稱自己從梯子上摔下來只是「稍微滑了一下」——他摔斷的手臂證明了那是輕描淡寫。
- euphemism
a milder word/phrase used in place of an offensive one; euphemism replaces the term, while understatement downplays the scale
- restraint
the quality of being moderate or controlled; restraint is a general trait, while understatement is a specific rhetorical choice
- litotes
a specific figure of speech using double negatives (e.g. 'not bad' meaning 'very good'); litotes is a type of understatement, not a synonym for the general concept
- exaggeration
describing something as larger/more serious than it is
- overstatement
a statement that represents things as more extreme than reality
用法筆記
Often used in the fixed expression 'to say (that) X is an understatement' as a rhetorical device that signals the speaker is deliberately downplaying a much larger reality. Common modifiers include 'gross,' 'massive,' 'classic,' 'slight,' and 'total.' When countable, always requires an article: 'it is an understatement' (not 'it is understatement').