1
as in dismissing
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 minimizing
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 playing down
Their forward depth with (Nikolaj) Ehlers playing down the lineup has been a huge strength.
—
Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 1 June 2026
But after his early doom-laden predictions, Altman may now be an outlier among industry leaders in playing down the impact on work.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 May 2026
The azul and chrome won the round of 16 opener 3-2 at Snapdragon Stadium, holding on despite playing down one man for the most of the match and down two men for the final minutes of regulation and all of stoppage time.
—Apress, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
After a week of playing down to – and then slightly lower than – their last-place opponents, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 9-0 victory on Wednesday night.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
There’s usually a physical requirement, as well as severely playing down the high-wattage glamor that got you on red carpets in the first place.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs know something about playing down a man or two at the position.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2025
Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 1 June 2026
But after his early doom-laden predictions, Altman may now be an outlier among industry leaders in playing down the impact on work.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 May 2026
The azul and chrome won the round of 16 opener 3-2 at Snapdragon Stadium, holding on despite playing down one man for the most of the match and down two men for the final minutes of regulation and all of stoppage time.
—Apress, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
After a week of playing down to – and then slightly lower than – their last-place opponents, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 9-0 victory on Wednesday night.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
There’s usually a physical requirement, as well as severely playing down the high-wattage glamor that got you on red carpets in the first place.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs know something about playing down a man or two at the position.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing down
Verb
-
As the media fixates on the digital natives known as Gen Z and Gen Alpha — often dismissing them as antisocial and entitled members of society — Saturday’s celebration showed that younger generations might actually have it all under control.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Democrats criticized Republicans for dismissing attempts at meaningful reform.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
As with minimizing soil disturbance, this, too, helps tremendously with controlling erosion, increasing the carbon content of soil and conserving moisture.—
Special to The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
Ambush hunting enables energy conservation while minimizing the risks associated with pursuit; remaining motionless in water for hours also costs comparatively little.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Lodge is technically not in Seattle—the converted seminary is located inside Kenmore’s Saint Edward State Park, an expanse of forest with trails running down to the eastern shore of Lake Washington.—
Harry Cheadle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 May 2026
-
In Golden State’s two losses to Indiana and Chicago, the Valkyries struggled when defenses pressed up against their guards and forced them to take tough shots at the rim with the shot clock running down.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Fifield fired back at the New York Times in an X post on Friday for downplaying the story.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
-
Nilsson, an incorrigible Midwesterner, had a history of downplaying her depth.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Politicos everywhere are talking down Johnson’s chances.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
During his remarks, Beshear accused Vance, whose memoir explores issues such as poverty and the lack of opportunity in Appalachia and the Rust Belt, of talking down to the people of Kentucky.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The swell on Saturday, which brought moderate 3-to 5-foot surf, was diminishing by the evening and into Sunday, said Sebastian Westerink, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
7 June 2026
-
This put him in the unusual position of being both an embarrassment and a hugely valuable asset to the BBC, as well as the focus of frequent criticism from the UK’s right-leaning media, most of whom have a commercial interest in diminishing the BBC.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
No one was writing off Raman anymore.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Forsaking clay, if only in terms of expectations, means writing off a little more than 20 percent of the season, a quarter of the Grand Slams and, for now, a third of the most important ATP tournaments, the Masters 1000s.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20down. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
