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
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
This loud-and-proud version of Sonny certainly feels progressive, but in a different way it soft-pedals Sonny’s complications.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
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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San Diego economist Ray Major downplays the impacts of declining immigration, pointing out that the far more concerning issue is the continuing exodus of residents, who far outnumber those who are moving here.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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However, the show downplays the severity of the incident and most crucially the fact that a child was present and injured in the melee.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other effective strategies include thoughtful classroom seating that minimizes distractions and improves access to visual and verbal cues.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
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The monitor is also TÜV Rheinland 3-star eye comfort certified, which means the monitor minimizes eyestrain, no matter how long your gaming sessions are.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the film, Julian glibly dismisses their upbringing.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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Ironically, Carreyrou does point to a 2015 New York Times article identifying Szabo but quickly dismisses it.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedals. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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