as in downplays
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
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Recent Examples of soft-pedals
Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
Heringer believes the city soft-pedals crime, pointing to metrics that show improvement but not where pockets of violent crime persist.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedals
Verb
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Writer/director Hammer, though, downplays the melodrama inherent to this scenario, even while shooting sequences, whether in Martin and Leslie’s apartment or in various hospitals, with a bracing handheld intimacy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
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The split between Pack, who went on to start his own venture firm Hack VC, and Dragonfly is the stuff of crypto VC lore, though Qureshi downplays the drama.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Located in the Baiyinkulun Steppe & Volcano Tourism Resort of Inner Mongolia, China, the 3,532-square-meter (38,018-sq-ft) project minimizes its footprint on the fragile landscape, while focusing on soil erosion prevention.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Feb. 2026
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The DreamCloud truly minimizes sleep disturbance from your neighbor.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump, naturally, dismisses any negative indicators in surveys.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
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Henry dismisses Yasmin but can’t shake the niggling feeling that his wife isn’t entirely wrong.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedals. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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