Litotes

Pronunciation: /ˈlɪtət/

Litotes (noun)

  1. A way of speaking that says less than the real meaning, to sound careful or polite.
  2. A type of understatement that uses a negative form to suggest a stronger positive meaning.

Examples

  • The movie was litote good, so everyone stayed for the ending.
  • Her answer was a litote polite, but it still sounded sincere.