Editing Understatement (section)

{{Short description|Stylistic device}}
{{Globalize|article|[[Commonwealth of Nations]]|date=August 2016}}
{{Wiktionary|understatement}}
'''Understatement''' is an expression of lesser strength than what the speaker or writer actually means or than what is normally expected. It is the opposite of [[Embellishment (disambiguation)|embellishment]] or exaggeration, and is used for emphasis, [[irony]], [[Hedge (linguistics)|hedging]], or humor. A particular form of understatement using negative syntax is called [[litotes]]. This is not to be confused with [[euphemism]], where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression.

Understatement may also be called underexaggeration to denote lesser enthusiasm. Understatement also merges the comic with the ironic, as in Mark Twain’s comment, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”<ref>Meyer H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. ''A Glossary of Literary Terms'', 11th ed. (Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2015), 169.</ref>