misunderstate

English

Etymology

mis- +‎ understate

Verb

misunderstate (third-person singular simple present misunderstates, present participle misunderstating, simple past and past participle misunderstated)

1. To understate by mistake.
   • 1886, Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76, page 13:

     Just as the bathymetrical limit of marine life, which was laid down at 300 fathoms by Professor Edward Forbes, is now no longer accepted, so the distance to which light can penetrate may prove to have been misunderstated hitherto, and should, in the interest of truth, be re-examined by physicists.

   • 1961, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly, Administered Prices, page 17457:

     Well, I would grossly misunderstate the thing if I didn't tell you this was the subject that was being thoroughly discussed at all times at the present time, and we intend, and Mr. Cresap has made it plain, I can assure you we all intend to make it a living policy, as has been stated today.

   • 1996, John Markoff, Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change, page 106:

     For foreign journalists, sociologists, and historians, the likelihood of misunderstating real limitations to democracy are even greater.

   • 2022, Talbot Mundy, The Eye of Zeitoon, page 'Ooever said Bluebeard was brother to me's Either jealous or misunderstates!: