soft-ped·al
ˈsȯf(t)-ˈpe-dᵊl 
soft-pedaled; soft-pedaling; soft-pedals
1
: play down, de-emphasize
soft-pedal the issue
2
: to use the soft pedal in playing
1
: a foot pedal on a piano that reduces the volume of sound
2
: something that muffles, deadens, or reduces effect
Examples of soft-pedal in a Sentence
Verb
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
The playwright further soft-pedals the protagonist by mitigating his toxic views on eugenics that in Ibsen (no matter how problematic his own beliefs) point to some basic shortcomings in humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
The controversy began with criticisms of some universities, Harvard included, for soft-pedaling their responses to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and for then ignoring the overheated rhetoric of many pro-Palestinian protesters on campus.
—Stephen L. Carter, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024
Mann neither skimps on visceral excitement nor soft-pedals the horror, which makes Enzo’s indifference seem all the more maddening.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Republicans have repeatedly accused Hunter Biden of broad wrongdoing in his overseas business deals and said the Justice Department under President Biden was soft-pedaling the case against his son.
—Perry Stein, Devlin Barrett and Matt Viser, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2023
David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
The playwright further soft-pedals the protagonist by mitigating his toxic views on eugenics that in Ibsen (no matter how problematic his own beliefs) point to some basic shortcomings in humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
The controversy began with criticisms of some universities, Harvard included, for soft-pedaling their responses to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and for then ignoring the overheated rhetoric of many pro-Palestinian protesters on campus.
—Stephen L. Carter, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024
Mann neither skimps on visceral excitement nor soft-pedals the horror, which makes Enzo’s indifference seem all the more maddening.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Republicans have repeatedly accused Hunter Biden of broad wrongdoing in his overseas business deals and said the Justice Department under President Biden was soft-pedaling the case against his son.
—Perry Stein, Devlin Barrett and Matt Viser, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2023
Noun
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soft-pedal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft-pedal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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