as in minimizing
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
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Recent Examples of downplaying
For one, Rebecca is mad at Charlie for downplaying the massive risk and selling his own gas-finding abilities so well.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez tried to project strength and unity among the ruling party’s many factions, downplaying any hint of betrayal.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez tried to project strength and unity among the ruling party’s many factions, downplaying any hint of betrayal.
—Isabel Debre, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Trump spent most of 2025 downplaying the significance of the files, at times lashing out against Republicans who demanded the release of information about other potential perpetrators.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 2 Jan. 2026
Yes, that was ESPN’s Joey Galloway calling the Canes the favorite to win the championship, weeks after downplaying UM’s season and advocating for Notre Dame to make the playoffs ahead of Miami.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2026
Marrazzo claimed Memoli made statements downplaying the importance of vaccines that closely mirrored the views of Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubts about vaccines.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Ryabkov was among those Russian officials downplaying the threat looming over Ukraine in the lead up to Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
—Ian Pannell, ABC News, 15 Dec. 2025
Huda issues an apology after downplaying the incident After initially downplaying the outrage over her reaction, Mustafa posted another statement on Wednesday publicly apologizing to Carthen.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez tried to project strength and unity among the ruling party’s many factions, downplaying any hint of betrayal.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez tried to project strength and unity among the ruling party’s many factions, downplaying any hint of betrayal.
—Isabel Debre, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Trump spent most of 2025 downplaying the significance of the files, at times lashing out against Republicans who demanded the release of information about other potential perpetrators.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 2 Jan. 2026
Yes, that was ESPN’s Joey Galloway calling the Canes the favorite to win the championship, weeks after downplaying UM’s season and advocating for Notre Dame to make the playoffs ahead of Miami.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2026
Marrazzo claimed Memoli made statements downplaying the importance of vaccines that closely mirrored the views of Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubts about vaccines.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Ryabkov was among those Russian officials downplaying the threat looming over Ukraine in the lead up to Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
—Ian Pannell, ABC News, 15 Dec. 2025
Huda issues an apology after downplaying the incident After initially downplaying the outrage over her reaction, Mustafa posted another statement on Wednesday publicly apologizing to Carthen.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplaying
Verb
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Hence, minimizing adjacent snow buildup is vital for maintaining power output in alpine PV systems.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, dismissing the man who traded away fan-favorite Luka Dončić in one of the most shocking NBA trades in recent memory.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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On Wednesday, in documents obtained by Rolling Stone, a California superior court judge overseeing the lawsuit ruled in favor of Kardashian and the anti-SLAPP motion, effectively dismissing the other Cantu’s lawsuit, though the judge left open the possibility of an appeal.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplaying. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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