understate

英 [ˌʌndəˈsteɪt]

美 [ˌʌndərˈsteɪt]

v.  轻描淡写; 避重就轻地说

过去分词：understated　过去式：understated　第三人称单数：understates　现在分词：understating　复数：understates　

GRETEM8

Collins.1 / BNC.15122 / COCA.12982

牛津词典

verb

• 轻描淡写；避重就轻地说
  to state that sth is smaller, less important or less serious than it really is
  1. It would be a mistake to understate the seriousness of the problem.
     对该问题的严重性轻描淡写是错误的。

柯林斯词典

• VERB 不充分如实地陈述；对…轻描淡写；打折扣地说
  If youunderstatesomething, you describe it in a way that suggests that it is less important or serious than it really is.
  1. The government chooses deliberately to understate the increase in prices...
     政府故意对物价上涨轻描淡写。
  2. That understates my commitment to the orchestra.
     那没有充分表达我对管弦乐队的热爱。

英英释义

verb

• represent as less significant or important
  Synonym:minimizeminimisedownplay

双语例句

• Some landlords understate their production figures to avoid tax.
  有些地主少报产量以逃税。
• Even these robust retail sales understate the strength of consumer spending, says Arthur Kroeber of Dragonomics, a Beijing-based economic research firm.
  设在北京的经济研究公司Dragonomics的ArthurKroeber说，即使是这些强劲的销售数字，也没有完全体现出消费支出的强健。
• Factory managers understate their potential output.
  工厂的管理人员少报他们的潜在产量。
• This figure may understate the problem, however.
  然而，这一数据可能低估了问题的严重程度。
• It is impossible to understate how important surging house prices were to consumption.
  房价飙升对于消费的重要性，怎么估计也不会过分。
• Yet there are some clues that this may understate the build up of foreign assets, in turn suggesting "hot money" flows into China have accelerated and that holding down the exchange rate is getting harder.
  然而，一些迹象表明，这可能还低估了外汇资产的增长，进而说明“热钱”涌入中国的速度有所加快，而压低汇率的难度正不断加大。
• The press have tended to understate the extent of the problem.
  平面媒体想轻描淡写地说明问题的波及面。
• We may be looking at long-term, double-digit unemployment with official unemployment figures that understate the extent of the problem.
  我们可能会看到失业率长期处于两位数，而官方失业数据仍将低估问题的严重性。
• Furthermore, these numbers understate the gap in living conditions between the US and Brics countries.
  而且，这些数字低估了美国和金砖四国（Brics）生活条件之间的差距。
• To call this a security hole is to understate the point woefully.
  不幸的是，将它称之为安全性漏洞有些轻描淡写。