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 Advertisement New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a long-suffering Knicks fan who attended a playoff game on May 21, has played down the chances of Gotham City-style meltdown. —

Rebecca Schneid, Time, 27 May 2026 But Rubio played down the issue. —

Lorne Cook, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026 But Adcock initially played down expectations by noting that the Figure team was aiming for the robots to work for eight hours straight, whereas a previous Figure demo had lasted just one hour. —

Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2026 Maresca played down those reports at the time. —

ABC News, 19 May 2026 The news came as BlackRock and JPMorgan played down fears of an AI bubble. —

Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 May 2026 But what if Landry, who barely played down the stretch last season after injuring his knee in October, can’t get back to 100%? —

Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026 Mikel Arteta has played down concerns about the injuries suffered by Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle. —

Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026 Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. —

Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down

Verb

The novel was initially ignored, and then—after Graham Greene called it one of the best books of the year—dismissed, and then banned, first in the UK and then in France.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Resuming on 55-5 and requiring 254 for an unlikely win, New Zealand lost its remaining five wickets inside the first two hours of play and was dismissed for 138.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 June 2026