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
-
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.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Sustainable gardening is an environmentally friendly approach that protects the earth and its inhabitants by mimicking natural ecosystems, minimizing waste and conserving resources.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Addressing concerns of the studios, the legislation includes exclusions for projects such as documentaries and biographical works, or for purposes of comment, criticism, or parody, among others.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Days after paying tribute to their relationship of two decades, Bell is at the center of controversy for downplaying domestic violence in the Friday post.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Some Republicans and Democrats criticized Vance’s response for excusing or downplaying the nature of the chat messages.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But regulatory frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act (CAIA) emphasize data minimization, retention limits and individual privacy rights.—
Asaf Kochan,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
-
But dismissing the rise in antisemitism as mere policing of speech about Israel is disingenuous and dangerous.—
Dafna Michaelson Jenet,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
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Less than four months later, though, a California judge stopped her in her tracks, dismissing her entire complaint on a technicality.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At the gubernatorial debate, Spanberger repeated her condemnation of the messages but refused to retract her endorsement of Jones, saying Jones is running his own race and voters should decide what to do with the information.—
Margaret Barthel,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
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The new layoffs drew condemnation from a range of education organizations.—
Collin Binkley,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Far from being simply a denunciation of marginalization, the song becomes a sincere embrace of vulnerable childhoods, highlighting the pain of those who grow up in poverty, neglect, and, often, are forced into crime as a means of survival.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
26 Sep. 2025
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Cinema sometimes has to know how to give in to a cause, but another thing entirely is to impoverish cinema by attributing to documentary cinema a mere and strict role of denunciation.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The quiet denouncement of Bob’s martyrdom complex points to people of color’s self-sufficiency.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
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 21 Oct. 2025.
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