play down

1 to express scornfully one's low opinion of out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments Synonyms bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, diminish, dis (also diss) [slang], discount, dismiss, disparage, kiss off, minimize, decry, poor-mouth, put down, run down, talk down, trash, trash-talk, vilipend, write offRelated Words discommend; abuse, scold; disapprove (of), dislike; censure, condemn, criticize, denounce, reprehend, reprobate; asperse, defame, malign, rip, slander, slur, traduce, vilify; discredit, disgraceNear Antonyms approve, countenance, endorse (also indorse), favor, recommend, sanction; commend, compliment, eulogizeAntonyms acclaim, applaud, exalt, extol (also extoll), glorify, laud, magnify, praise

2 to reduce in apparent importance if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve Synonyms de-emphasize, downplay, soft-pedalRelated Words underplay, understate; bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, decry, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, dismiss, disparage, kiss off, minimize, poor-mouth, put down, run down, talk down, trash, trash-talkNear Antonyms exaggerate, overdo, overdraw, overstate; elaborate, embellish, embroider, magnify, pad, stretch; fudge, hedge; melodramatize, overemphasize, overplay, sensationalize