as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
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Recent Examples of downplayed
The Johnson Administration downplayed the significance of the landing.
—
Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The NYT‘s profile either downplayed or omitted all of these glaring ethical red flags.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
But at a press conference yesterday afternoon, Artemis II entry flight director Rick Henfling downplayed that theory, noting that the blockage had persisted even after hours of warming Integrity’s vent in direct sunlight.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and national NFL reporter Dianna Russini downplayed the significance of photos taken of the two together at a resort in Sedona, Arizona last month, saying they were misrepresented.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Chair Jerome Powell, at a news conference after the meeting, downplayed projections by officials that the Fed could reduce its rate once this year.
—Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Wintour downplayed needing to wear a suit to feel powerful and immediately cited Michelle Obama as an example, as well as New York’s new first lady, Rama Duwaji, wife of Zohran Mamdani.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in response, a Microsoft executive downplayed the company's AI focus last month while talking up major improvements to future Windows 11 updates.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The administration downplayed the shortfall and insisted state finances remain robust, but Republican legislative leaders said the governor and his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly’s majority have abandoned honest budgeting.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The NYT‘s profile either downplayed or omitted all of these glaring ethical red flags.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026
But at a press conference yesterday afternoon, Artemis II entry flight director Rick Henfling downplayed that theory, noting that the blockage had persisted even after hours of warming Integrity’s vent in direct sunlight.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and national NFL reporter Dianna Russini downplayed the significance of photos taken of the two together at a resort in Sedona, Arizona last month, saying they were misrepresented.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Chair Jerome Powell, at a news conference after the meeting, downplayed projections by officials that the Fed could reduce its rate once this year.
—Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Wintour downplayed needing to wear a suit to feel powerful and immediately cited Michelle Obama as an example, as well as New York’s new first lady, Rama Duwaji, wife of Zohran Mamdani.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
Perhaps in response, a Microsoft executive downplayed the company's AI focus last month while talking up major improvements to future Windows 11 updates.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
The administration downplayed the shortfall and insisted state finances remain robust, but Republican legislative leaders said the governor and his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly’s majority have abandoned honest budgeting.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
Verb
-
Florida attorneys general in both parties scrupulously minimized their secondary roles as partisan politicians.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
-
As a result, low-end distortion is minimized, and sound becomes clearer.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Camarena completed the program, the charges would be dismissed.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier, Lucknow got off to a poor start when Kagiso Rabada (1-54) dismissed Mitchell Marsh for 11.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Downplayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplayed. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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