1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
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
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
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
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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While Calvin Klein normally does away with fussy embellishments and patterns, stripes remain the only exception, thanks to their resort casual look that instantly elevates an outfit while keeping it understated.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2026
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Debbie Richardson’s costume design is similarly understated.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
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History suggests that an overconfident Tehran will overplay its hand.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2026
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Lue has tried to stagger their minutes to not overplay them.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One player made a scene on the field, vilified police, downplayed crime, wore a Fidel Castro T-shirt in the locker room, disrespected law enforcement and the military, and wore socks depicting cops as pigs during practice.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
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Levine has previously downplayed his ties to Epstein, but the Herald found emails released in the Epstein Files that indicate his relationship with Maxwell and Epstein went back to at least the early 2000s.—
Shirsho Dasgupta
May 22,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
Verb
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No pattern enacted on these buttons will safely land a four-hundred-ton jetliner, flaring and bouncing and settling heavily onto its twenty-two wheels while the spoilers on the wings snap up and the jets scream in reverse and the passengers sigh in relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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If the White House proposal is enacted as is, OSIRIS-APEX would be among more than 50 missions canceled.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
18 May 2026
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.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At Denver Botanic Gardens, youth educators encourage preschoolers to act out the life cycle of various plants, for example.—
Jamie Siebrase,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
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Hanks' wife Rita Wilson stars in and co-produces the new show, which features an ever-changing lineup of entertainment, politicians and athletes who read and act out excerpts from other celebrities' autobiographies.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The basic themes of Hearst’s life and the novels that dramatize it remain distressingly relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
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The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The guest rooms were designed to emulate a lakeside escape, while the hotel’s corridor carpets mimic a sandy beach.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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The underwater world informed also her approach to accessories, which ranged from mesh handbags studded with transparent beads mimicking drops of water to statement necklaces, bracelets and belts evoking octopus tentacles and small anchovies.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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