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
On Monday, the president downplayed the economic threat posed by Iran.
—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
22 June 2026
Some of the world’s most powerful companies downplay the dangers posed by plastics and overstate the ability to recycle them, the Tribune found.
—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
The Kremlin has tried to downplay the crisis, but Ukraine’s systematic strikes are testing efforts to shield Russia’s economy and population from the war’s costs.
—
Lauren Morganbesser,
semafor.com,
21 June 2026
While the archival records are managed by the National Archives and Records Administration, the museum exhibits are funded by private donors, who may prefer to highlight positive moments and downplay controversies.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
22 June 2026
Some of the world’s most powerful companies downplay the dangers posed by plastics and overstate the ability to recycle them, the Tribune found.
—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
The Kremlin has tried to downplay the crisis, but Ukraine’s systematic strikes are testing efforts to shield Russia’s economy and population from the war’s costs.
—
Lauren Morganbesser,
semafor.com,
21 June 2026
While the archival records are managed by the National Archives and Records Administration, the museum exhibits are funded by private donors, who may prefer to highlight positive moments and downplay controversies.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for downplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplay
Verb
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While the Texatron is designed as an aneutronic fusion system intended to minimize neutron production, the company says monitoring neutron emissions will help verify radiation characteristics and overall system performance.
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This significantly minimizes cybersecurity risks by decreasing the number of outside players that may have access to the data through cloud or hardware infrastructure.
Verb
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The firms asked the judge to dismiss the case Wednesday, arguing Uber had failed to prove fraud.
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Delta denied this in its legal response, seeking to dismiss the case.
Verb
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Questlove is too much of a humanist to soft-pedal’s Maurice White’s contradictions.
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Analysts fault Harris and party leaders for soft-pedaling Donald Trump’s felony convictions and other vulnerabilities, arguing Democrats’ rational, low-negative messaging couldn’t compete in an election defined by rage and relentless attack ads.
Cite this Entry
“Downplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplay. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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