as in to minimize
to reduce in apparent importance
you're at a point in your career where you can de-emphasize your academic record and emphasize your work experience
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Recent Examples of de-emphasize
The Gates Foundation, like other corporations and institutions, has taken steps to de-emphasize its D.E.I. work.
—
Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
By de-emphasizing the will of not just Poles but also Ukrainians, Hubris underplays the key factor that brought Putin to the point of annexing Crimea in 2014: Ukraine’s fervent hope for closer trade ties with the EU.
—Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025
But she was frustrated by the gallery’s refusal to show her drawings, which would have de-emphasized her image as a sculptor.
—Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S is the second-straight generation of Xbox hardware with falling sales, according to analysts, and the company’s leadership has de-emphasized its consoles in favor of promoting a message that gamers can play Xbox games on phones, smart TVs, VR headsets and other hardware.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de-emphasize
Theodore Schleifer, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
By de-emphasizing the will of not just Poles but also Ukrainians, Hubris underplays the key factor that brought Putin to the point of annexing Crimea in 2014: Ukraine’s fervent hope for closer trade ties with the EU.
—Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025
But she was frustrated by the gallery’s refusal to show her drawings, which would have de-emphasized her image as a sculptor.
—Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S is the second-straight generation of Xbox hardware with falling sales, according to analysts, and the company’s leadership has de-emphasized its consoles in favor of promoting a message that gamers can play Xbox games on phones, smart TVs, VR headsets and other hardware.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de-emphasize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-emphasize
Verb
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Specifically, their proprietary algorithms forecast store and product sales across millions of SKUs and diverse product lines to maximize inventory turns, minimize overstock and, importantly, drive sales.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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The couple's wedding planners told Fox News Digital that Bezos and Sánchez specifically instructed them to minimize the disruptions to the best of their ability out of respect to the locals.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Drug ads often downplay the risks, leading to uninformed decisions.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 June 2025
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President Donald Trump downplayed any divisions within the MAGA movement over potential U.S. strikes on Iran.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Kiser's attorneys also filed a notice to dismiss some agencies from the lawsuit, and the court sealed a declaration Kiser wrote about this case.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
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Operation Ajax, a joint CIA-British operation, convinced the Shah of Iran, the country’s monarch, to dismiss Mossadegh and drive him from office by force.—
Jeffrey Fields,
The Conversation,
18 June 2025
Verb
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In 2024, Paul Weiss didn’t soft-pedal its liberal leanings.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2025
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Goldberg Tuesday scoffed at the denials and efforts to soft-pedal the extent and potential danger of the breach.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“De-emphasize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-emphasize. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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