downplayed

verb

past tense of downplay
as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success

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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 downplayed Shifting emphasis moving into the general election A number of Republicans have removed or downplayed references to Trump from their websites after winning their primaries. — Steve Peoples, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 Patterson and some council members downplayed the relevance of those findings, however, saying they were dated and conducted in different cities under different circumstances. — Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026 A number of Republicans have removed or downplayed references to Trump from their websites after winning their primaries. — ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 In an interview with NPR, Ralph Hennessy, EEIDD's executive director, downplayed the pushback from residents. — Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 Quincy Mayor Tom Koch is not backing down and has downplayed the religious meaning of the statues. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 In addition, in his instructions to the jury, Justice Justin Dewey downplayed the circumstantial evidence. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 Contreras, who has been playing through a leg issue recently, downplayed the incident postgame. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Goode, who has made his living as a special teams standout with 698 snaps in three seasons, and could take that route to earning a roster spot again this season, downplayed his backburner status at edge rusher. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
  1. minimized
  2. dismissed
  3. de-emphasized
  4. soft-pedaled
Verb
  • In this location, the telescope will rarely be blocked by Earth and infrared heat from the Earth, sun and moon is minimized.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • States alleged that Meta’s internal research documented links between Instagram use and harms including depression, anxiety and body-image concerns among young people, while the company publicly minimized or concealed those risks.
    — Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimized
Verb
  • Gibson Dunn, an external law firm, investigated and dismissed Love’s complaints.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement Unfortunately, some of my academic and clinical colleagues have dismissed this approach.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Our tactile and sensory life has been de-emphasized in favor of ideas, symbols, accomplishments, and abstractions.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
  • The changes have included an overhaul of Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has de-emphasized a listing of relevant web links in its results and increasingly highlighted AI overviews and conversational responses provided through an AI mode.
    — Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Definition of de-emphasized
Verb
  • In fact, several of the investigators believed the shooting was intentional, and that the Biden administration had actually soft-pedaled the investigation’s findings to appease Israel.
    — Scott Griffen, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of soft-pedaled

Browse Nearby Words

downplay
downplayed
downplaying
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Cite this Entry

“Downplayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplayed. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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