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
DeCosta downplayed the focus on size and said the team’s personnel staff is always looking for different types of players.
—
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
During cross-examination, Nuñez admitted being incensed about Intriago using his name but downplayed any ramifications.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Cool defended Nanos' handling of the sheriff's department budget, argued that the sheriff should not have to answer all of the board's questions in a public setting, and downplayed concerns of retaliation against Cross and Lappin.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There’s a sense that not enough alarm was raised by the media during the 2024 election, or that, for example, Project 2025 was downplayed.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Lawson-Remer’s office downplayed the group’s concerns, saying that the ballot language was reviewed by the county’s attorneys.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
After The New York Post published the Russini-Vrabel photos last week, the pair downplayed the handsy interaction.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Tillis downplayed the political impact of the post on Wednesday, while also offering pushback against the president’s recent rhetoric toward the pontiff.
—Sophie Brams, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2026
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
During cross-examination, Nuñez admitted being incensed about Intriago using his name but downplayed any ramifications.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Cool defended Nanos' handling of the sheriff's department budget, argued that the sheriff should not have to answer all of the board's questions in a public setting, and downplayed concerns of retaliation against Cross and Lappin.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
There’s a sense that not enough alarm was raised by the media during the 2024 election, or that, for example, Project 2025 was downplayed.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Lawson-Remer’s office downplayed the group’s concerns, saying that the ballot language was reviewed by the county’s attorneys.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
After The New York Post published the Russini-Vrabel photos last week, the pair downplayed the handsy interaction.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Tillis downplayed the political impact of the post on Wednesday, while also offering pushback against the president’s recent rhetoric toward the pontiff.
—Sophie Brams, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
Verb
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But those receipts have been at least somewhat minimized by the lavish tax breaks local governments have granted to data center developers.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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For as long as medicine has been practiced, women’s health concerns have been minimized, misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Red Sox had never fired a manger in-season since John Henry purchased the team in 2002, and throughout the franchise’s existence no manager had ever been dismissed midseason so early in the campaign.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
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Last year, dozens of experts who provided independent evaluations for biomedical research were dismissed from National Institute of Health science review boards.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 27 Apr. 2026.
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