UNDERPLAY Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

underplay

verb

Definition of underplay

as in to understate

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Dissimilar Words

as in to overplay

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of underplay Not to underplay the seriousness of the situation, of course, but the suspect never made it inside. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Sometimes the functional sibling learns to compensate or cover for the dysfunctional one, to underplay strengths or wear a mask. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Though Shakespeare in Love won best picture, Spielberg’s film led a worldwide wave of remembrance for WWII veterans, as well as conversations about previous films underplaying the trauma of combat. — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026 Cast against type, Stamos has fun slyly underplaying a thoroughly depraved character. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underplay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay

Verb

As flows migrate, the data will overstate how much families stopped receiving and understate how much simply changed rails.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
The difference between annual inflation and the cumulative effect of inflation over multiple years can create a disconnect, economists say, understating inflation’s impact on consumers.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of understate

Verb

Both habits are compulsive, self-soothing, and ultimately self-harming, yet only his history with women drives the story while his drug use is, disconcertingly, downplayed.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
But Roberts has continually tried to downplay the political messaging associated with the visit.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of downplay

Verb

And the trailer shows how idyllic the four victims’ college experience was until Bryan Kohberger (who has pled guilty to the murders) seemingly picked them at random to act out his serial-killer obsession.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 July 2026
Put together this 393-piece Lego Marvel set to act out the subway scene from Spider-Man 2.

— Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026

Definition of act out

Verb

Two teenagers, aided by an arborist, climbed a 100-foot pine tree outside a Pasadena high school Saturday to dramatize a campaign to stop a soil remediation project calling for the removal of nearly 200 trees at several school campuses.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
The pilot will dramatize the trilogy’s opening heist at the Hotel Theresa on 125th, a thirteen-story tower with a striking white façade once known as the Waldorf of Harlem.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Definition of dramatize

Browse Nearby Words

underpins

underplay

underplayed

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Style

“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of underplay

verb

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