1
as in overemphasizing
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2
as in underplaying
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplaying
Verb
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Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026 -
Still, experts warn that there is such a thing as overemphasizing the data and getting bogged down by less-than-optimal scores.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Jevons wasn’t overdoing it.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Fortunately, there’s little danger of overdoing it on vitamin D from food alone.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kentner said this was the third citizen initiative put on the ballot in Lakewood in the past decade, a sign the city needs to do a better job talking to its 156,000 residents before enacting big changes to land-use policy.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
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Morelle said the purpose of the hearings — another is scheduled for later this week in San Francisco — is to hear from election and voting rights experts and to build a roadmap for enacting election reforms after the midterms if Democrats regain control of the House.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose term featured record numbers of disappearances and homicides, complained that political adversaries were exaggerating the problem to smear his reputation and legacy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Analysts note that the Russia Defense ministry has a habit of exaggerating advances when the frontlines are scarcely changing.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
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Bimbofication is the act of dressing like an attractive dumb woman and acting out the part.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, overstating job requirements carries its own risks.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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The episode’s biggest error is overstating human performance compared to technological outcomes.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to recentering the story, the new show shies away from violence on screen, so as to avoid sensationalizing Gacy.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
13 Nov. 2025
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Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tassoni is best known for his 2023 Black List script Lure, which follows a park ranger lured into the woods by a dangerous, unearthly predator mimicking her dead daughter.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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Martha Stewart, who introduced her followers to the tradition in 2005, resurrected the dessert a few days ago on Instagram with a photo of a cake expertly decorated with chocolate curls mimicking a lamb’s wooly coat.—
Lisa Gutierrez
April 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Overplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplaying. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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