as in to minimize
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downplay
Never downplay your story, never gas your story, never hype up your story, never lie just to have a story.
—
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Williams downplayed his injury after Saturday’s game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
Slavik again reiterated that Combs has not accepted responsibility for his actions, has downplayed abuse, and has blamed everyone but himself.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Many Democrats, meanwhile, have downplayed the threat of mass firings, arguing that the White House has already been reducing the size of the federal workforce.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Williams downplayed his injury after Saturday’s game.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
Slavik again reiterated that Combs has not accepted responsibility for his actions, has downplayed abuse, and has blamed everyone but himself.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Many Democrats, meanwhile, have downplayed the threat of mass firings, arguing that the White House has already been reducing the size of the federal workforce.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplay
Verb
-
Amen Thompson wasn’t going to be counted on as Houston’s primary ballhandler until Fred VanVleet’s injury, but the Rockets should be leaning on Thompson as a point guard going forward, especially to minimize Thompson’s lack of shooting.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Here’s a handsome Japanese cutting board that’s designed to minimize stress on your hand and lengthen the life of your chef’s knives.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And Tucker Carlson has gained attention with his own programming distributed via social and digital media, Their audiences can be smaller and more disparate than the ones that come to mainstream news outlets, but in an era of cord-cutting, their niche power is not to be dismissed.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In February, following a SAG Award win for her breakout role in Shōgun, Anna Sawai dismissed rumors that she had been cast as Yoko Ono for the film series.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Translation: compliance burdens are rising, even if the U.S. is soft-pedaling near-term enforcement.—
Pam Kaur,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Nothing grates quite like those slick pharmaceutical ads blaring across the TV, promising quick fixes while soft-pedaling potential side effects.—
Alex Ward,
Boston Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplay. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share