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Can your main argument “not be overstated enough?” Or should that be understated?. Overstate (verb): Overstate is a verb that means “to describe in an exaggerated way”: “Defendant overstates his claim that no court has ever granted this relief before.” “ Can’t be Overstated ”: This phrase should be reserved for only the most important points, since it means that the point is ...
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BetaIf something can't be overstated, doesn't that means that it should not be overstated This doesn't logically follow at all. If something can't be done, it can't be done. If something shouldn't be done, it shouldn't be done. Can't and shouldn't mean totally different things. That's why they're different words. Consider these similar examples:
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BetaThe phrase “it cannot be understated or overstated” serves as a powerful tool in emphasizing the importance, significance, or impact of a statement or fact. Its dual negation effectively communicates that the matter at hand is of utmost importance and should be fully recognized without downplaying or exaggerating its implications.
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Beta'Overstate' means basically to make a bigger deal out of something than it is, whereas 'understate' means the opposite. "It's hard to overstate the devastating effect of the nuclear bomb" is correct: you're saying that the damage of a nuclear bomb is so vast that however devastating one could say the nuclear bomb is won't be far over the truth.
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BetaSimilar topic ("cannot/must not underestimate") here A Google search for "hard to understate" (with quote marks) mostly returns examples of misuse. Share. Improve this answer. Follow edited Jun 9, 2019 at 15:14. answered Dec 26, 2018 at 21:18. Michael Harvey Michael Harvey. 12.2k 2 2 gold ...
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BetaThe meaning of CANNOT BE OVERSTATED is —used to say that something is very large or very great. How to use cannot be overstated in a sentence. —used to say that something is very large or very great… See the full definition. Games; Word of the Day; Grammar; Wordplay; New Slang; Rhymes; Word Finder; Thesaurus; Join MWU; More ...
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Beta'The importance of this cannot be understated.' means that the importance is very high and should not be underestimated. 'The importance of this cannot be overstated.' means that the importance is significant and cannot be emphasized enough. The choice between 'understated' and 'overstated' depends on the intended emphasis on the importance.
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BetaAnd it doesn't seem to be the whole story even in the "cannot" or "impossible" cases, because when people say "we cannot understate the importance of X" (the phrase Wallraff is discussing), they seem to mean "we cannot overstate the importance of X" (because it is so great), not just "we're obliged not to understate the importance of X ...
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BetaDefinition of cannot be overstated —used to say that something is very large or very great The importance of tomorrow's test cannot be overstated. What does Cannot be understated mean? If the former, then “X cannot be understated” means something like “I can't and won't allow it to be stated as of less importance than it actually is.”
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BetaThis is actually a fairly common mistake. And understate/overstate is not alone. Underestimate is often misused when overestimate is the intended word. You cannot underestimate the devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought. Well, yes, actually you can. You can easily underestimate it by thinking that little destruction occurred.
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