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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downplay
Some have downplayed the AI link.
—
ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Paak, who grew up 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Oxnard, has never hidden or downplayed his Korean heritage.
—Kevin Polowy, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
In his first year in office, Kennedy has fired top health officials, downplayed the role of vaccinations during an unprecedented measles outbreak and slashed funding for critical research areas like mRNA shots.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Paak, who grew up 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Oxnard, has never hidden or downplayed his Korean heritage.
—Kevin Polowy, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
In his first year in office, Kennedy has fired top health officials, downplayed the role of vaccinations during an unprecedented measles outbreak and slashed funding for critical research areas like mRNA shots.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplay
Verb
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To say that these photographs played a major role in defining an Argentinian national identity seems to minimize how European, most notably Italian, standards of glamour influenced the appearance of these images.—
Bryan Barcena,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement Then there’s the controversy sparked by celebrity podcasters Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who dismissed Crockett's Senate bid as pointless.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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Amorim was dismissed following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on January 5 after a breakdown in relations behind the scenes.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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But a communications strategy designed to soft-pedal radioactive contamination of food won’t make America healthy.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplay. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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