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
-
Russ Anderson also failed to challenge the bank’s incentive compensation program, failed to institute effective controls and repeatedly downplayed sales practices misconduct, Hsu previously said.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Oct. 2025 -
Tagovailoa, however, downplayed the existence of an internal rift.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Readers urged her to trust her instincts and not allow herself to be minimized.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The stories involving Olympia’s other underlings, Sarah Franklin (Leah Lewis) and Billy Martinez (David Del Rio), were often minimized and isolated.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When Duffy threatened to revoke funds last month, a spokesperson for Newsom dismissed the attack and noted that CDL holders from California have a significantly lower rate of crashes than both the national average and that of Texas, which is the only state with more licensed commercial drivers.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Then in April, 2019 all charges against him were dismissed and Gibson walked free.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
26 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 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share