1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of played down
Throughout the war, Israeli officials have consistently played down the severity of hunger in Gaza.
—
Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
That would seem to bode well for a team that has rarely played down to its competition this season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Trump played down expectations ahead of the meeting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
That would seem to bode well for a team that has rarely played down to its competition this season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Trump played down expectations ahead of the meeting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
Miami’s cartophile Argentine defender Tomas Aviles saw his second yellow of the night after pulling back Toklomati and was dismissed in the 79th minute, leaving Messi and his teammates down a man for the final stages.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Fletcher, who was considered a strong contender for a state Senate seat in March 2023 when Figueroa filed her complaint, spoke publicly Friday about the allegations one month after a judge dismissed it.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Officials repeatedly minimized fire risks and touted the benefits of letting the fire burn, according to The Republic's findings.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Context switching is minimized.—
Paul Kovalenko,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even if military victory in the conventional sense remains uncertain, Russia has been diminished in ways that extend far beyond the battlefield.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The result can mean fatigue, irritability and diminished mental focus for the individual tasked with working in the heat.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But experts on the group have downplayed the evidence released so far.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Chiefs have since downplayed any lingering fallout from the tense TV moment.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Seahawks players ran down into the end zone and recovered the ball for a touchdown.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Exactly the opposite of what’s happened in losing two one-score games to start this season; each was marked by turns that had them two scores down into the middle of the fourth quarter and ultimately just on the outside looking in as time ran down.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Last week, Ralo took to social media to call Thug a divisive figure who had previously talked down on Rich Homie Quan and YFN Lucci to peers in a similar manner.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Gareth isn’t so easily talked down, however.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Played down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20down. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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