PLAY DOWN Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

play down

verb

Definition of play down

as in to dismiss

to express scornfully one's low opinion of out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to minimize

to reduce in apparent importance if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 play down Miami coach Mario Cristobal played down preseason hype around his team. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2026 The industry is one of the key drivers of Indian economic growth and middle-class expansion, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played down job displacement concerns. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Often times, Europeans play down the ideological motive and cite mental health. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Iranian state television earlier played down the outcome of the Iran-Oman discussions, citing a person familiar with the matter as saying an agreement between Tehran and Muscat would not necessarily mean the strait would open immediately. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for play down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for play down

Verb

In other developments, Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss Ruslan Kravchenko from the post of prosecutor general Tuesday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Critics dismissed the threat as a ploy to manufacture leverage in deal discussions.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Dyson addresses that issue with an anti-gravity tank and a diaphragm pump designed to minimize air pockets.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Promote Business Continuity By Maximizing Uptime Many businesses focus on minimizing downtime, reducing the amount of time systems or services are unavailable.

— Rick Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of minimize

Verb

Heat point guard Davion Mitchell has seemingly been anywhere and everywhere this summer, always in perpetual motion, burning calories, running down basketball courts and city streets.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
Underneath, the meat is white and the juice runs down along the side.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of run down

Verb

And that’s growing, even though, for a while, the issues seem to almost have been downplayed in the official media discourse.

— Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
If a third of that pool has smoothed over an age, downplayed a caregiving responsibility or held back an honest opinion online, that manager is working from an edited pool without knowing it.

— Houman Akhavan, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of downplay

Verb

Its screenplay, which Dolan hatched in collaboration with three others, tries to soft-pedal predictable beats that nonetheless end up the only ones getting beaten.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
But Paddy’s isn’t Sudz, and the Gang’s efforts to soft-pedal their antics to be more in line with those mainstream bars devolved into typical Sunny-style hostility and off-putting grossness.

— Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026

Definition of soft-pedal

Verb

Employees need clarity on how new skills connect to opportunities and confidence that AI will enhance, not diminish, their value in the organization.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
If the senator’s moralism has been unfettered by his stroke, with a shift toward right-brain moralistic processing, that does not diminish his sincere intent or its effect.

— Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026