as in downplayed
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedaled
Verb
-
However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence downplayed the shift in the latest assessment, emphasizing at the time that the overall conclusions had not changed.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025 -
Many Democrats, meanwhile, have downplayed the threat of mass firings, arguing that the White House has already been reducing the size of the federal workforce.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gonzalez, the former National Security Council official, said senior policymakers thought that embassy staff were showing favoritism to Bukele, sending reports that minimized the growing crisis of democracy in El Salvador.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Could the Giants have minimized those wayward stretches under the leadership of a different kind of manager, especially the 0-6 homestand against the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates that preceded their selling posture at the July 31 trade deadline?—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman was fired Sunday, and defensive coordinator Travis Williams, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and defensive line coach Deke Adams were dismissed Monday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Pushed to extremes While footage and photographs of starving Palestinians in Gaza have horrified audiences abroad, inside Israel they have been dismissed by many as manipulated or untrue.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedaled. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share