Synonyms of played up

played up

verb

past tense of play up

as in highlighted

to indicate the importance of by centering attention on

that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• highlighted
• emphasized
• stressed
• featured
• pointed (up)
• punctuated
• identified
• accented
• bore down on
• accentuated
• made much of
• illuminated
• focused
• foregrounded
• pressed
• promoted
• advertised
• publicized
• pinpointed
• plugged
• spotlighted
• boosted
• overplayed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• played down
• toned (down)
• understated
• minimized
• discounted
• underemphasized
• de-emphasized
• belittled
• disparaged

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of played up

However, those Dolphins teams never played up to their potential. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Fielder played up a version of himself on the show, acting as a dumbly ambitious business school graduate, socially inept and desperately seeking connection. — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

And the Dolphins’ veteran tackles haven’t played up to expectations this season. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

But with her Monday night looks, Pugh seemingly played up sartorial symbolism. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

In one of two brief speaking appearances during the hearing, Paramount lawyer Joshua Holian played up the value of Miramax, citing Scary Movie‘s nine-figure haul at the box office this year. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

Cassavetes played up the conflicting feelings on set and exacerbated them by giving Rowlands and Cassel contradictory directions that constantly set the actors against each other. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

Paye’s pocket-pushing and motor really played up in these situations. — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Trump played up the industry’s potential in the days after Maduro’s capture. — Fabiola Zerpa, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026