vast understatement

Frequency: 7.09.5 per million words

Used to describe a statement that is extremely and obviously not strong enough to describe the real situation.

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Examples (20)

  • To call the damage extensive would be a vast understatement.
  • To say the situation is 'challenging' would be a vast understatement.
  • Saying the project faced minor hurdles was a vast understatement of the true challenges.
  • Calling her achievement 'impressive' is a vast understatement.
  • Describing the situation as merely "challenging" was a vast understatement.
  • The initial report described the damage as 'minor', which was a vast understatement.
  • The politician's apology was a vast understatement of his culpability.
  • His claim of being 'slightly busy' was a vast understatement given his workload.
  • Claiming they were "a little disappointed" about the loss was a vast understatement.
  • To describe the impact as 'significant' would be a vast understatement of its true scale.
  • The report's summary turned out to be a vast understatement of the crisis.
  • The term 'uncomfortable' was a vast understatement for the agony he endured.
  • His comment that the climb was "a bit steep" was a vast understatement.
  • Saying the new policy faced 'some resistance' was a vast understatement of the widespread protests.
  • Calling the financial impact significant would be a vast understatement given the circumstances.
  • The doctor's prognosis that it was 'a bit serious' turned out to be a vast understatement.
  • She realized her initial assessment had been a vast understatement of the problem's scale.
  • Calling the event 'memorable' is a vast understatement; it was life-changing.
  • To say the concert was "well-attended" would be a vast understatement; it was packed.
  • Even to say the cost was 'high' would be a vast understatement for such a monumental project.