as in downplays
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft pedals
Verb
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Combs did not deny kicking or throwing Cassie to the ground, and even downplays these acts of violence, Slavik said in her arguments this morning.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
3 Oct. 2025 -
Even as Vancouver publicly downplays its conviction about Cootes, internally, the conversation around him is beginning to shift materially.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The washer minimizes water usage by intelligently recycling and filtering during each stage.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
-
This precaution minimizes electrical hazards during flooding.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Each side dismisses the other's contention.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Trump dismisses Republican mayoral hopeful as Giuliani allies support Cuomo.—
,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Soft pedals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft%20pedals. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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