difficult to understate

USAGE SUMMARY

"difficult to understate" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to emphasize the importance of something, often when describing a challenge or an obstacle. For example, "The impact of the pandemic on the economy has been difficult to understate."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

It would be difficult to understate my excitement.

The Guardian - Opinion

It is difficult to understate France's importance to Europe -- and to us.

The New York Times

It is difficult to understate how out of their depth Gibraltar were.

The Guardian - Sport

It's difficult to understate the boldness of their action: Professor Waksman is something of a saint around Rutgers, and Piscataway is a town that takes its history seriously.

The New York Times

The club have loftier ambitions than the FA Cup, but for now it is difficult to understate the sheer importance of Yaya Touré's winning goal in the evolving process that one day will make this kind of euphoria the norm, a situation those mysterious men in Abu Dhabi, sitting on a tenth of the planet's oil reserves, fully intend.

The Guardian - Sport

It is difficult to understate what a run Apple is on right now.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

Nevertheless, early IRA withdrawal risk is hard to understate.

Forbes

It is hard to understate the importance of this legislation.

Vice

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Vice

Rakitic alluded to "a difficult season" but that is to understate it: given the turmoil at the club, their financial situation and the huge turnover of personnel, this was a remarkable achievement.

The Guardian - Sport

It rests on some heroically large assumptions which would be difficult to test, and it also uses a measure of demand that is likely to understate systematically the true scale of drug use".

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "difficult to understate" to emphasize the significance or impact of a situation, event, or idea. It's particularly effective when you want to convey that the true extent is profound and should not be minimized.

Common error

While "difficult to understate" is a useful phrase, avoid using it excessively in your writing. Overuse can diminish its impact and make your writing sound repetitive. Vary your language by using synonyms or alternative expressions to convey emphasis.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficult to understate" functions as a means of emphasizing the magnitude or importance of a subject. It suggests that the true extent or impact is so significant that minimizing it would be a disservice. As Ludwig AI confirms, it’s a correct and usable phrase.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "difficult to understate" is a grammatically correct and useful expression for emphasizing the magnitude or importance of something. Ludwig AI validates its usability in written English. With a neutral register and usage primarily in news and media, it serves to highlight significant issues or impacts that should not be minimized. While uncommon, its strategic use can effectively convey the profundity of a subject, ensuring the audience fully grasps its importance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hard to minimize

Replaces "difficult" with "hard", which has a similar meaning, slightly reducing the formality.

hard to downplay

Uses "downplay" instead of "understate", focusing on the act of reducing importance rather than the potential for minimizing it.

impossible to minimize

Replaces "difficult" with "impossible", intensifying the degree of emphasis.

cannot be understated

Changes the structure to a passive voice, emphasizing that something's significance is too great to be understated.

the importance is paramount

Shifts the focus to the importance itself, using "paramount" to convey the highest level of significance.

of utmost importance

Emphasizes the high degree of importance, using a more direct and formal tone.

vitally important

Highlights the critical nature of something, indicating it is essential or crucial.

highly significant

Uses "significant" to stress the notable or consequential nature of something.

extremely important

Replaces the nuanced underestimation concept with a straightforward assertion of high importance.

critical to acknowledge

Shifts the emphasis to the need for recognition and acceptance of the importance.

FAQs

How can I use "difficult to understate" in a sentence?

You can use "difficult to understate" to emphasize the importance of something. For example, "It is difficult to understate the impact of social media on modern communication".

What are some alternatives to "difficult to understate"?

Some alternatives include "hard to minimize", "cannot be understated", or "vitally important".

Is it better to say "difficult to understate" or "difficult to overstate"?

"Difficult to understate" means something is so important that you can't minimize its significance. "Difficult to overstate" implies something is so great that it's hard to exaggerate its qualities. Choose the phrase that aligns with your intended meaning.

What does "difficult to understate" imply about the subject?

It implies that the subject has a significance, impact, or importance that is profound and easily overlooked if not properly emphasized. It's a way of highlighting its true magnitude.