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
McCarthy downplayed the emotion of returning to face his hometown team.
—
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Fahey relished the opportunity to play against Lyons and downplayed any sort of rivalry between the two top quarterbacks.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
His concerns were downplayed a few months ago by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Unlike formal speeches or parliamentary votes, a podcast answer can be easily downplayed or disowned.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Critchfield even downplayed concerns that AI use in schools encourages cheating.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
During his first public appearance in days, Trump on Tuesday confirmed plans to surge federal law enforcement to Chicago but downplayed when.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet Kennedy — a prominent vaccine skeptic — has downplayed the efficacy of vaccinations.
—Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Getty Images American Taylor Townsend downplayed the potential racial undertones in her US Open second-round opponent’s post-match comments.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Fahey relished the opportunity to play against Lyons and downplayed any sort of rivalry between the two top quarterbacks.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
His concerns were downplayed a few months ago by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Unlike formal speeches or parliamentary votes, a podcast answer can be easily downplayed or disowned.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Critchfield even downplayed concerns that AI use in schools encourages cheating.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
During his first public appearance in days, Trump on Tuesday confirmed plans to surge federal law enforcement to Chicago but downplayed when.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet Kennedy — a prominent vaccine skeptic — has downplayed the efficacy of vaccinations.
—Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Getty Images American Taylor Townsend downplayed the potential racial undertones in her US Open second-round opponent’s post-match comments.
—Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
Verb
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Responses that joked about and minimized the posters’ experiences, or were unsupportive in other ways, were comparatively rare.—
Laura Schwab Reese,
The Conversation,
2 Sep. 2025
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The damage to Caden’s body was minimized by his older brother quickly pulling off his shirt and instructing him to stop, drop and roll to put out the fire.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Spurs have, for now, dismissed takeover talk.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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His previous criminal history includes two violations of an abuse prevention order and a charge of destruction of property, all of which have been dismissed.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downplayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplayed. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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