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
While Brown did not speak to reporters after the 23-19 loss, Sirianni downplayed the incident during his postgame news conference.
—
Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.
—Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, downplayed the agent's injuries.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan downplayed the severity of a postgame incident that saw Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt poking him in the face.
—Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
The next day, appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Secretary of State and interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio downplayed the military aspect of the operation.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Mars, who has handled NCAA eligibility waiver cases for numerous athletes, downplayed the significance of that communication.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And María Corina Machado, the Nobel prize-winning opposition leader, has been cast aside by the White House, which has downplayed the extent of her domestic political support.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
But Harris downplayed talk of those possibilities.
—Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.
—Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, downplayed the agent's injuries.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan downplayed the severity of a postgame incident that saw Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt poking him in the face.
—Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
The next day, appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Secretary of State and interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio downplayed the military aspect of the operation.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Mars, who has handled NCAA eligibility waiver cases for numerous athletes, downplayed the significance of that communication.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
And María Corina Machado, the Nobel prize-winning opposition leader, has been cast aside by the White House, which has downplayed the extent of her domestic political support.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Jan. 2026
But Harris downplayed talk of those possibilities.
—Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
Verb
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Cruz and other Republicans argued the decision minimized the gravity of an attack on the judiciary and could encourage future political violence.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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Women’s concerns are often minimized or brushed aside, making this an especially difficult area to navigate.—
Korin Miller,
Flow Space,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sprowls sued, and an appellate court dismissed the lawsuit, siding with the county party, Davis said.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In November, a federal judge dismissed the charges against both Comey and James, finding that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 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 18 Jan. 2026.
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