1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
Bader gives a sharp, subtle performance, underplaying in scenes where even an experienced actor might chomp down.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Fraud detection systems raise alarms over rare anomalies, while chatbots sometimes give dramatic but unlikely answers—underplaying the boring, common outcomes that are far more probable.
—Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Fraud detection systems raise alarms over rare anomalies, while chatbots sometimes give dramatic but unlikely answers—underplaying the boring, common outcomes that are far more probable.
—Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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With the Dolphins in search of a new identity under Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, the importance of the trenches cannot be understated.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
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The state's comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, said budget gaps were previously understated.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Successful vagueposters inject their posts with just enough dramatic flair to attract curiosity, careful not to overplay their hand.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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As evidenced by new sanctions on Russian oil, the seizure of Russian tankers, and the continuing flow of American weapons to Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly overplayed his hand with the president of the United States.—
Andrew Ryvkin,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Musk, who serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has for years downplayed his connection to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
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During that same 2021 interview, Rieder downplayed inflation concerns bubbling up at the time.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Inside, organizers enacted extreme heat protocols, forcing closure of the retractable roofs over the main arenas and postponement of matches on the uncovered outer courts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On-screen, the speech’s prestige can overwhelm its existential subject matter, and the passage tends to get overacted.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
15 Dec. 2025
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Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The actors joked about how trying to put on medical gloves quickly enough while remembering and acting out dialogue can make scenes go sideways in a heartbeat.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Dec. 2025
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Ordained to the Catholic priesthood in June, Jimenez was watching as parishioners acted out the Nativity scene during a posada, a Latin American tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of shelter.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The spectacles in Tianjin and Washington dramatize a world in which major powers increasingly rely on public theatre, transactional bargains, and the symbolism of court-like diplomacy to project hierarchy and distribute favor.—
Pratap Bhanu Mehta,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
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Her film is an honorable attempt to dramatize the everyday agonies and frustrations of Red Crescent workers, to honor their quick thinking and astonishing courage under duress.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The exercises mimicked the demands of difficult backcountry missions.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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The company is currently redesigning its website to mimic the ease of in-store shopping.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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