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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Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.—
Riley J. Steiner,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026 -
Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And Carys is certainly embracing shopping her mom's previous red carpet picks — even to the point of possibly overdoing it.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
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While a thin layer can help support the skin barrier, overdoing thick zinc creams daily may feel too heavy for skin types and ironically, could clog pores in oily skin.—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The council is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving contracts, enacting local laws and representing residents on issues ranging from housing and homelessness to public safety and economic development.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
3 June 2026
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The law prevents cities from enacting ordinances that dictate wage levels or working hours for employers.—
DJ Simmons,
Charlotte Observer,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Apple just settled a class-action lawsuit for exaggerating the AI capabilities of its newest iPhones.—
Vitaliy Katsenelson,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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The league decided to introduce postgame flop fines in the 2012-13 season where plays were reviewed after games and those individuals were fined for exaggerating contact.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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This natural state of paralysis prevents the body from physically acting out dreams, which could otherwise lead to injury, Drerup explained.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Rather than acting out on the anger, take a calming moment with some deep breaths, and think about the possibility that your partner was possibly distracted or stressed out.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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There’s no overstating how much NASA’s Artemis moon exploration program depends on SpaceX and Blue Origin delivering the goods.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
29 May 2026
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But skeptics say de-extinction is not possible and the company may be overstating its claims.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
28 May 2026
Verb
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In my view, platforming these young men and sensationalizing their behaviors, rather than recognizing those behaviors as signs of psychological distress, distracts from the urgent need to address these serious mental health concerns.—
Jordyn Tovey,
The Conversation,
22 May 2026
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For Johnson, police have to balance not sensationalizing these teen takeovers, while also not writing them off as kids being kids.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Instead, pluralism, naturally associated with diversity and popular agency, was made into the cultural face of capitalism—it was branded as a false openness mimicking the free market, as a flattening that might cause art and art history to lose the threads of progress and quality.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Inspired by wetland plants like mangroves, 12-year-old Ella Barth and Esme Tsai’s prototype glass funnel uses layers of coffee filter paper, gravel, sand, ion exchange resin, charcoal and cotton, mimicking a natural filtration process to help rid local tap water of its chalky taste.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Overplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplaying. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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