1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
None of this is to underplay the value of this agreement to Paramount’s streaming business.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Mintz more than matches the acrobatic dancing of Donald O’Connor’s Cosmo in the movie but underplays the character’s goofiness and goes for a sly, self-respecting sassiness instead.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
To say that there is no love lost between the two sides would be to underplay the depth of feeling here.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
None of this is to underplay the value of this agreement to Paramount’s streaming business.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Mintz more than matches the acrobatic dancing of Donald O’Connor’s Cosmo in the movie but underplays the character’s goofiness and goes for a sly, self-respecting sassiness instead.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
To say that there is no love lost between the two sides would be to underplay the depth of feeling here.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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The risks should not be understated.—
Hassan Hassan,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
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Every piece—from the theatrical to the understated, from statement makers to little touches—is seen as a portal into Jacobs’s world.—
Erin Cunningham,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Barkley suggested the players should be careful to not overplay their hand.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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Three mini-columns today: John Fish, the billionaire owner of Suffolk Construction, wildly overplayed his hand trying to jam through that $900-million Turnpike Plaza-gate rip-off.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And Self was quick to downplay any potential shooting-woes carryover from 2024-25.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
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Sirianni tried to downplay questions about the position even when the season approached and the depth chart was unsettled.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The city has enacted a more aggressive policy stance to limit the impacts of tent and vehicle encampments — panned as draconian by some advocates — in conjunction with its heavy investment in interim housing solutions.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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In a dressing room, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end concentrates while practicing carrying his then-girlfriend during the Tortured Poets Department section of the three-hour show, with the scene cutting to the couple re-enacting it in full costume on stage.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
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There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But when her school’s principal suggests that her acting out might be covering up a learning disability, Claire’s mom is hesitant to have her evaluated.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
15 Oct. 2025
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In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Panahi followed suit with his first feature-length film, The White Balloon, using a pair of siblings trying to find a goldfish for their Nowruz, or New Year, celebration to dramatize economic hardship.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
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The project engaged Collective Artists Network’s Galleri5 studio, where creative teams used AI technology to construct the epic’s world and dramatize its legendary conflicts and ethical questions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These self-organizing clusters start producing blood after about two weeks in the lab, mimicking the process seen in human embryos.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
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Atwood specifically chose this shade of green to mimic Charisse's unforgettable dress.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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