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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Recent Examples of downplay
But, even then, El Mercurio and other Chilean media downplayed his offenses and portrayed his dictatorship as a driver of a successful national economy.
—
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Mar. 2026
Underwood and his players downplayed their concerns about playing Houston in its home city.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Trump himself has downplayed Iran's potential defenses.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
Kennedy dismissed a key panel of 17 experts who advise CDC on its vaccine decisions last year, replacing them with his own picks, many of whom have emphasized the risks of vaccines while downplaying their health benefits.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Mar. 2026
Underwood and his players downplayed their concerns about playing Houston in its home city.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Trump himself has downplayed Iran's potential defenses.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
Kennedy dismissed a key panel of 17 experts who advise CDC on its vaccine decisions last year, replacing them with his own picks, many of whom have emphasized the risks of vaccines while downplaying their health benefits.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplay
Verb
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There is a commitment to that philosophy, even as there is a determination to minimize bad outcomes as much as is humanly possible.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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By generating electricity from fuel during flight and switching to a quieter electric mode when required, the system allows smaller drones to extend their operational range while minimizing noise and thermal signatures.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Johnson dismissed the criticism.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Red flags worth walking away from include dismissing symptoms without investigation, attributing everything to stress or anxiety, discouraging second opinions and making patients feel rushed.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This loud-and-proud version of Sonny certainly feels progressive, but in a different way it soft-pedals Sonny’s complications.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplay. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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