as in to downplay
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-pedal
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 June 2026
Analysts fault Harris and party leaders for soft-pedaling Donald Trump’s felony convictions and other vulnerabilities, arguing Democrats’ rational, low-negative messaging couldn’t compete in an election defined by rage and relentless attack ads.
—Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
Old school with a gift for storytelling, Simon was not one to soft-pedal his mentees.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
But a communications strategy designed to soft-pedal radioactive contamination of food won’t make America healthy.
—Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2026
In fact, several of the investigators believed the shooting was intentional, and that the Biden administration had actually soft-pedaled the investigation’s findings to appease Israel.
—Scott Griffen, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
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
Nothing grates quite like those slick pharmaceutical ads blaring across the TV, promising quick fixes while soft-pedaling potential side effects.
—Alex Ward, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
Questlove is too much of a humanist to soft-pedal’s Maurice White’s contradictions.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 June 2026
Analysts fault Harris and party leaders for soft-pedaling Donald Trump’s felony convictions and other vulnerabilities, arguing Democrats’ rational, low-negative messaging couldn’t compete in an election defined by rage and relentless attack ads.
—Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
Old school with a gift for storytelling, Simon was not one to soft-pedal his mentees.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
But a communications strategy designed to soft-pedal radioactive contamination of food won’t make America healthy.
—Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2026
In fact, several of the investigators believed the shooting was intentional, and that the Biden administration had actually soft-pedaled the investigation’s findings to appease Israel.
—Scott Griffen, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
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
Nothing grates quite like those slick pharmaceutical ads blaring across the TV, promising quick fixes while soft-pedaling potential side effects.
—Alex Ward, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedal
Verb
-
Press releases from the day show that Chaffins actually tried to downplay the national news hook of the 1930s criminals by pointing toward the Kentucky couple's peaceful arrest and lack of injuries caused.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
7 July 2025
-
Yulissa issued an apology after exiting the dating series, but has subsequently gone on social media downplaying the severity of her actions.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
International travel is expensive, for one, and worries around immigration enforcement have put a damper on the festivities for some fans, according to reporting from The Guardian.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
The weather, though, could put a damper on things.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Every group-stage match will involve a border crossing into the US, but, according to a spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, players will only enter the US one day before the first match and two days before each of the next two matches to minimize their time in the country.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Wear clothing that minimizes skin exposure to ticks when possible.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
If messages pile up, answer in batches and mute extras.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
Gerard took off, spun four and a half full revolutions in a backside direction while holding the board (a backside 1620 mute) and landed cleanly.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The charges of using a computer to commit a crime and interfering with a telecommunications device were dismissed, according to prosecutors.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
In January 2021, Erickson was charged with one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, but the charge was later dismissed, his lawyer Mark Werksman told The New York Times.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Heemeyer was a welder who owned a muffler shop in town.—
John B. Snow,
Outdoor Life,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Even the life-sized giraffe even got dressed for the season with a ribbon muffler.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The vinegar will act as a natural softener and deodorizer on its own.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
18 Nov. 2025
-
Clothing manufacturers no longer must choose between using a softener that is durable but negatively impacts cotton’s natural absorbency or one that preserves the fiber’s ability to hold moisture but also washes off through home laundering.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedal. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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