Question

What is an understatement that expresses the affirmative by saying the negative of the contrary called?

Answer 1

litote

A litote is an understatement that expresses the affirmative by saying the negative of the contrary. This is a wordy definition that can make it difficult to understand. Here are a few examples:

That wasn't the messiest house I've ever seen. - This sentence says that the house is messy by saying the contrary - that it's not messy.

The poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost has a litote because it says that the world being destroyed would be "great" and "would suffice". He doesn't actually think this to be true.

Answer 2

An understatement that expresses the affirmative by saying the negative of the contrary is called a litote. It is a figure of speech considered to be the opposite of the hyperbole.