as in minimizing
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
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 de-emphasizing
The Giants also appear to be de-emphasizing Dart as a runner to keep him healthy, which could lead to him getting a higher volume of passing attempts in Week 15.
—
Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Atmos Rewards functions as a third front door to Alaska/Hawaiian, intentionally de-emphasizing airline branding to enable expansion across the broader travel ribbon.
—Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Critics argue that the Dalai Lama’s middle way, which prioritizes dialogue and reconciliation while de-emphasizing mass mobilization, has kept the movement from reaching its full potential and leveraging its explosive strength in the struggle against Beijing.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Atmos Rewards functions as a third front door to Alaska/Hawaiian, intentionally de-emphasizing airline branding to enable expansion across the broader travel ribbon.
—Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Critics argue that the Dalai Lama’s middle way, which prioritizes dialogue and reconciliation while de-emphasizing mass mobilization, has kept the movement from reaching its full potential and leveraging its explosive strength in the struggle against Beijing.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-emphasizing
Verb
-
That pattern — local districts rejecting or minimizing antisemitism complaints, followed by state reversals and orders to change course — appears again and again across the Bay Area in California Department of Education documents obtained by Bay Area News Group.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
This higher specific impulse could dramatically reduce transit times to Mars, minimizing astronauts’ exposure to microgravity and cosmic radiation, both of which pose health risks over long periods.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trump was busy downplaying the severity of the new coronavirus and insisting that the country had to swiftly reopen.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
-
For one, Rebecca is mad at Charlie for downplaying the massive risk and selling his own gas-finding abilities so well.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Confidence can tip into defensiveness, so your challenge has a lot to do with asserting boundaries without emotional withdrawal and honoring your needs without dismissing others.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The president spoke little about democracy in Venezuela, dismissing a potential role for its longstanding democratic opposition in running the country in the immediate aftermath of the operation.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“De-emphasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-emphasizing. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
