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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of played down
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
Arteta played down Premier League involvement when asked after the loss to Villarreal, but his involvement this summer has been telling.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Trump played down expectations ahead of the meeting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Arteta played down Premier League involvement when asked after the loss to Villarreal, but his involvement this summer has been telling.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
Spurs have, for now, dismissed takeover talk.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His previous criminal history includes two violations of an abuse prevention order and a charge of destruction of property, all of which have been dismissed.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Responses that joked about and minimized the posters’ experiences, or were unsupportive in other ways, were comparatively rare.—
Laura Schwab Reese,
The Conversation,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The damage to Caden’s body was minimized by his older brother quickly pulling off his shirt and instructing him to stop, drop and roll to put out the fire.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With four weeks of consistent use, our tester’s dark spots were diminished, and her skin looked even-toned and healthy.—
Esme Benjamin,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Now, with the rise of summaries and instant answers, their impact on driving actual site traffic has diminished.—
Noa Eshed,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
McCarthy downplayed the emotion of returning to face his hometown team.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Fahey relished the opportunity to play against Lyons and downplayed any sort of rivalry between the two top quarterbacks.—
Michael Huntley,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The dress also featured bold colorblocking, with a white collar and front placket that ran down the dress to the waistline.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Cass said the preliminary information indicates that the victims and his friends ran down the street after banging on the suspect's door.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
2 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
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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 10 Sep. 2025.
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