as in to minimize
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downplay
Other Republicans have sought to downplay the significance of Democratic victories in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races.
—
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Still, even economists who downplayed the short-term impact of the court’s decision acknowledged significant implications for the years-long outlook of the economy.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Democrats, however, have downplayed the impact Mamdani would have.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
That may explain why some allies such as former White House advisor Steve Bannon are pushing for an unconstitutional third term that the president has also toyed with at some points and downplayed at others.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Still, even economists who downplayed the short-term impact of the court’s decision acknowledged significant implications for the years-long outlook of the economy.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Democrats, however, have downplayed the impact Mamdani would have.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
That may explain why some allies such as former White House advisor Steve Bannon are pushing for an unconstitutional third term that the president has also toyed with at some points and downplayed at others.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplay
Verb
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Act quickly to keep the stain from setting and to minimize the damage.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Nov. 2025
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Advanced hull geometry, radar-absorbing coatings, and an electronic degaussing system minimize magnetic and electric signatures.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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On Wednesday, in documents obtained by Rolling Stone, a California superior court judge overseeing the lawsuit ruled in favor of Kardashian and the anti-SLAPP motion, effectively dismissing the other Cantu’s lawsuit, though the judge left open the possibility of an appeal.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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This company’s approach to pest control begins with a philosophy that dismisses the business-as-usual assumptions.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In fact, several of the investigators believed the shooting was intentional, and that the Biden administration had actually soft-pedaled the investigation’s findings to appease Israel.—
Scott Griffen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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On the other hand, the idea of being Colorado sober soft-pedals the potentially addictive effects of cannabis and psychedelics, said Alton P. Dillard II, a media consultant for the One Chance to Grow Up nonprofit.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplay. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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