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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of played down
Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Jim and Jeff have played down concerns after Meta recently lost two social media addiction court cases.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Kifowit has played down the urgency of modernizing the comptroller’s office, saying improvements are already underway.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The 2023 Open was played down Highway 1 at Pebble Beach.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday played down growing worry about the economic impact on oil shipments from the Middle East, saying Japan has oil reserves at home that can last for several months.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Jim and Jeff have played down concerns after Meta recently lost two social media addiction court cases.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Kifowit has played down the urgency of modernizing the comptroller’s office, saying improvements are already underway.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The 2023 Open was played down Highway 1 at Pebble Beach.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday played down growing worry about the economic impact on oil shipments from the Middle East, saying Japan has oil reserves at home that can last for several months.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
Some claims have been dismissed or settled out of court, while others are ongoing.—
Michael Kaplan,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
For as long as medicine has been practiced, women’s health concerns have been minimized, misdiagnosed or dismissed.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Florida attorneys general in both parties scrupulously minimized their secondary roles as partisan politicians.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
-
As a result, low-end distortion is minimized, and sound becomes clearer.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Guthrie is 84, after all, and not in great health, so though in the first few days the focus was on trying to find her alive, at this point, the hopes of that have diminished greatly.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Quiet Maryam and mercurial Farhan—eight years apart—had often squabbled, gone through periods of not talking, but without her sister as a foil, Maryam was diminished.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After The New York Post published the Russini-Vrabel photos last week, the pair downplayed the handsy interaction.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Ladapo and Kennedy have downplayed vaccine safety, defying decades of scientific evidence to the contrary.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, who are set to challenge the champions on the upcoming Monday Night Raw, ran down to make the save.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The verbal altercation continued as both players ran down the court following the free throw.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Baldwin also said district custodians are understaffed, supplied with broken or old equipment, have been denied language interpreters during meetings and are in general talked down to by administrative staff.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
There’s always a chance that Fetterman’s prospective foes get talked down from the ledge.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Played down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20down. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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