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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as in criticism
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Recent Examples of soft-pedaling
Alex Ward, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedaling
Verb
-
The schedule will continue to get tougher from here, so minimizing those first quarter mistakes will be essential.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Its guidelines include optimizing thermostat settings, minimizing electricity and hot water use, and leveraging natural light.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Mourinho’s arrival at United was a response to some of the criticisms directed at his predecessor, Louis van Gaal.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Much of his criticism originates to when Elon Musk, a South African native, was a member of his administration.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kirk’s good at downplaying his interest in seeing La’an again.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Defense Secretary (Jared Harris) who has been downplaying this event is feeling the pressure, and carries the burden that his daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) is in Chicago.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In jurisdictions like the EU, mishandling personal information may violate provisions of the bloc’s strict data privacy law, GDPR, which includes principles like data minimization, informed consent, and the right to be forgotten.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
22 Aug. 2025
-
The authors note that, in over 45 hours of recordings, suspects used various minimization tactics to manipulate officers of law to believe their actions to be inconsequential.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The latest clash reflects a broader pattern, with Netanyahu’s government having chronic tensions with the military echelon since the cabinet was sworn in in January 2023, often dismissing military advice.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
-
In fact, toxic positivity is very different from overall, everyday positivity and can lead to minimizing or entirely dismissing real experiences and emotions that are felt and experienced.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The impact of the story, as audio of Hind’s voice from that call went viral on social media, sparked global condemnation.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
That limitation was underscored this summer when the US launched air strikes on Iran, with China and Russia offering little in assistance apart from verbal condemnation of the attacks.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His denunciation did little to change their policy.—
Rosalyn R. LaPier,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
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Analysts argued the deal would be a nonstarter even before Zelensky’s public denunciation of any territorial concessions.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy has long held anti-vaccine beliefs that came to a head with his denouncement of the Covid-19 vaccines.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedaling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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