as in minimizing
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in criticism
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedaling
Verb
-
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Mar. 2025 -
After initially minimizing the severity of the measles outbreaks, Secretary Kennedy said his department has supported Texas health officials in part by providing doses of the MMR vaccine.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Habba’s involvement has drawn criticism from Democrats, who accuse the Trump administration of politicizing federal prosecutions.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 June 2025
-
After Fox News announced Trump's hiring, criticism followed.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Too often, boards respond by downplaying concerns, offering vague explanations, or shifting blame elsewhere.—
Committee of 200,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Most importantly, the proposal provides that, when discovery items are turned over belatedly, judges can impose consequences that stop short of dismissing the whole case, if a lesser remedy can ensure fairness to the defendant.—
Jane Manning,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Just a few days later, the Israeli government effectively began the process of dismissing Gali Baharav-Miara, Israel’s attorney general.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Winning would cap a startling resurrection for Cuomo, a three-term governor who resigned in 2021 amid condemnation for scandals.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
-
But his condemnation of intervention in Iran was at odds with the Trump administration whose role in the conflict has splintered the MAGA coalition, a wing of which opposes American involvement in foreign wars.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Still, for all the outspoken denunciation, individual use of AI has rapidly become routine.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
17 June 2025
-
Among the quicker and more vigorous denunciations was Saudi Arabia’s.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Noun
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The opposition Labour Party, as well as the Green Party, criticized the suspensions as disproportionate, with the Labour Party proposing censure instead.—
Julia Zhong,
NBC news,
5 June 2025
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The censure so far has cost her a chance to vote on the state's biannual budget and propose a bill to expand access to mental health resources for residents.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Douglas McCarthy, the vocalist who hectored anarchic invective with EBM innovators Nitzer Ebb and who joined Depeche Mode keyboardist Alan Wilder’s Recoil side project, died Wednesday at the age of 58.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025
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His tommy-gun dialogue, much of it laced with withering invective and punctuated with profanity, started a shift in the language of both theater and movies in this country.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedaling. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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