1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
Some companies overstate the benefits while underplaying the hazards.
—
Aimee Pugh Bernard, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
Notice the costs of underplaying the conversation, which many tend to do.
—Hylke Faber, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Gonski said that in addition to overstating certifiers’ responsibilities, Follow the Law’s messaging underplays the protections that already exist.
—Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2024
In this controversial Claire Denis work, her longtime themes of desire and survival are crystallized in a dead-eyed probe into understanding our most base impulses and the tension underplaying unsteady erotic connections.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Aimee Pugh Bernard, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
Notice the costs of underplaying the conversation, which many tend to do.
—Hylke Faber, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Gonski said that in addition to overstating certifiers’ responsibilities, Follow the Law’s messaging underplays the protections that already exist.
—Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2024
In this controversial Claire Denis work, her longtime themes of desire and survival are crystallized in a dead-eyed probe into understanding our most base impulses and the tension underplaying unsteady erotic connections.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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Its packaging is understated and classic—an elegant glass bottle with restrained branding, reflecting the confidence of a product that doesn't need to shout to be noticed.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The result is a house that feels private, understated, and intimately connected to the French Riviera landscape.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Patel, Bondi and Trump are overplaying their hand, especially as the president’s immigration policy approval keeps dropping amid public outrage over authoritarian assaults on due process and separation of powers.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
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But on stage, the sophomoric snaps are overplayed (and fairly raunchy for Indiana high schoolers in the 1950s); the energy is replaced by speed; and the emotions are always fraught.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The country subsequently downplayed the initiative, but has doubled-down on domestic tech development given U.S. restrictions in the last several years.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 Apr. 2025
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Kennedy downplayed diagnostic shift as a minor explanation for the increase in autism cases, but researchers have found that changes in diagnosis probably explain a majority of the increase.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Florida Sheriff's Association announced in February that all county jails had signed agreements in compliance with a state law enacted in 2022.—
Julia Ingram,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Republicans are hoping to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, which caps how much money the Treasury Department can owe to pay the country’s bills, by up to $5 trillion this year as part of a larger package to extend expiring tax cuts enacted through Trump’s signature 2017 tax law.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Dec. 2024
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One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While in shelters, some animals may act out due to the overwhelming stress of their environment.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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Two months later, Becca was the target of online gossip and started acting out and drinking as a way to cope.—
Deb Schmill,
People.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The 2013 film Gravity dramatized the hazardous potential of space debris on humans in orbit, but most of the danger is to the proliferating number of satellites.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Apr. 2025
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Unlike Molly, who's politely reticent and reluctant to speak up for herself, Nikki can't resist expressing her anger and sorrow—or, more precisely, dramatizing them for whatever audience of oncologists happens to be in range.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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While the filling is made of microfiber, the material mimics both the fluffiness and warmth of authentic down.—
Megan Schaltegger,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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Using paint to mimic the look of a runner is a creative, unexpected way to add interest to your non-carpeted stairs.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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