Synonyms of playing up

playing up

verb

present participle of play up

as in highlighting

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

• highlighting
• emphasizing
• stressing
• featuring
• pointing (up)
• bearing down on
• making much of
• identifying
• punctuating
• illuminating
• focusing
• accentuating
• accenting
• pressing
• foregrounding
• promoting
• advertising
• pinpointing
• publicizing
• spotlighting
• plugging
• boosting
• overplaying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• playing down
• toning (down)
• minimizing
• understating
• de-emphasizing
• discounting
• disparaging
• belittling
• underemphasizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of playing up

The fourth member of the household is Terry’s lurking aide, an androgynous aesthete named Steven (theater producer Jordan Roth, playing up the character’s feline strangeness). — Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026

These athletes created signature shoes, playing up their personal stories in the marketing. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Collins and Buddy Carter are playing up their conservative records on Capitol Hill, while former college football coach Derek Dooley pitches himself as a political outsider. — ABC News, 19 May 2026

The six swings-and-misses on his fastball represented a season high and indicated that the rest of his mix was playing up and keeping opposing hitters off balance. — Katie Woo, New York Times, 18 May 2026

Peeke, meanwhile, had an up-and-down season, starting well while playing up in the lineup with Hampus Lindholm. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026

Rose said Ye bought into her flattery and liked the idea of drinking booze and playing up his bigshot status. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026

What’s the harm in asking, or playing up the theatrics? — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026

On his Instagram page, Simonds appears to relish in playing up an overly-confident wrestler. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026