PLAYED DOWN Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

played down

verb

past tense of play down

as in dismissed

to express scornfully one's low opinion of out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in minimized

to reduce in apparent importance if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of played down The Singapore Shipping Association also played down the prospect of a broad withdrawal of commercial shipping from the region, suggesting operators would instead adapt to changing trade conditions. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 The president of the European Central Bank played down speculation about intervention in France’s ballooning budget crisis on Wednesday. — John Liu, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 Russia's government played down concerns Monday sparked by media reports that a female scientist in Siberia might have died of exposure to the plague after a lab accident. — Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 The hearing officer noted that Marx, in a July podcast interview, had played down the violations and claimed the campaign was aware of them before the complaints began to mount. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 2026 Trottier played down the middle in both games in his first rookie tournament and handled himself admirably. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 With the Kroenke deal, the Angels will plug into a much larger sports and media ecosystem that should benefit the team that has always played down the road in Orange County in the shadow of the region’s beloved Los Angeles Dodgers franchise. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026 But Blanche played down concerns that the erosion of judicial trust could impede his efforts to advance his agenda. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 Miami coach Mario Cristobal played down preseason hype around his team. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down

Verb

Williams argued that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo’s state-law claims involving breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him free to pursue those claims separately in state court.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026
Last weekend in Highland, Michigan, Rogers dismissed El-Sayed's attempts to whittle away at his GOP base of support.

— Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismissed

Verb

Whether intentional or unintentional, the creation of new space debris by future space missions must be minimized as much as possible.

— David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Forests may occasionally have to be sacrificed for economic development, said Tuan Vo of Can Tho University, but the damage should be minimized by consulting experts and understanding how changes could affect river flows.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of minimized

Verb

Such a trend, however diminished, persists particularly among constituencies with close institutional ties to the state.

— Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
Finally, Nieves encouraged young salsa singers to pursue their dreams, even as radio and other traditional avenues for exposure have diminished.

— Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminished

Verb

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly downplayed settler violence, tried to cast doubt on the attack.

— Dana Karni, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
The president downplayed the criticism within his party over the agreement, which would supply the United States and global marketplaces with diesel equivalent to only a little more than one day of global demand.

— Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026