1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
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
However, testimony also revealed text messages and emails between Gray and his supervisors that prosecutors say appeared to underplay the severity of the incident on the day of the shooting.
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Skyler Henry,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Most importantly, the film tries to underplay the massive identity and religious politics that the Bengal border has seen since the lines were drawn.
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Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
However, testimony also revealed text messages and emails between Gray and his supervisors that prosecutors say appeared to underplay the severity of the incident on the day of the shooting.
—
Skyler Henry,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Most importantly, the film tries to underplay the massive identity and religious politics that the Bengal border has seen since the lines were drawn.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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The competitive risk is real and should not be understated.
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However, aid workers believe that the official numbers vastly understate the scale of the crisis.
Verb
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Campaigners, meanwhile, don’t want to overplay their hands.
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Try to keep him on the back line of defense and overplay the 3-point line to funnel to him.
Verb
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Streamers including Netflix have downplayed their interest in taking on solo ownership of the Emmys and the fact hat none of these companies has snapped up the rights so far is telling.
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Kevin Hassett, director of the White House's National Economic Council, downplayed Thursday's report, pointing to a positive trend for the labor market in previous months.
Verb
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Greenspan was also criticized for enacting policies that contributed to the subprime mortgage crisis that led to the recession at the end of the 2000s.
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After the collapse, state legislators enacted a law in 2022 requiring condo associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs.
Verb
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That secret shakes Charlie’s love for his intended, messes with work, affects his performance in bed and prompts him to spiral out, overacting at every step.
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Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
Verb
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Lawmakers must resist the temptation to act out of fear to block the growth of AI and its still largely unknown benefits.
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But, again, is acting out of expediency and the desire to streamline a conclusive end the same as delivering a final season representing the best of The Bear?
Verb
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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.
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Plot synopsis House of the Dragon attempts to condense and dramatize the conflicting accounts presented in Fire & Blood—stitched together from testimonies and court chronicles—into a single authoritative narrative.
Verb
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That skill mimics mortality, Lee said, with the Chinese firm calling it another step toward fully autonomous machines capable of working 24/7.
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Such a beautiful sculpture, mimicking the swirls found in nature (the cosmos, shells, Fibonacci-following topiary) felt a far cry from the swirl of emotions prompted by my favorite TV shows.
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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