1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
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
Mintz more than matches the acrobatic dancing of Donald O’Connor’s Cosmo in the movie but underplays the character’s goofiness and goes for a sly, self-respecting sassiness instead.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
To say that there is no love lost between the two sides would be to underplay the depth of feeling here.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
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
Mintz more than matches the acrobatic dancing of Donald O’Connor’s Cosmo in the movie but underplays the character’s goofiness and goes for a sly, self-respecting sassiness instead.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
To say that there is no love lost between the two sides would be to underplay the depth of feeling here.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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But in her eyes the urgency of the climate crisis cannot be understated.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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With a pixie cut, Duwaji’s personal style leans toward the understated, including her pairing of long shorts with an oversize buckle, midriff-skimming one-shoulder top and cowboy boots.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And powerful people tend to overplay their hands.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
30 Dec. 2025
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Malek, though, overplays his character’s reactions in the end as Kelley realizes that the manipulator he’s been talking to is the personification of evil.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, however, downplayed the agent's injuries.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Any plan for dividend checks would likely require new legislation passed by Congress, but no solid plans have been enacted.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
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Now, Loogootee has enacted another special events policy that mirrors several measures in the one that the court struck down.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
6 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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Composed of pictograms, the Azcatitlán’s 25 folios feature a succession of Aztec rulers, and dramatize the arrival of Hernán Cortés and Christianity.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
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Fastvold, though, was passionately inspired by Lee’s biography, and imagined a film that would dramatize not only her story, but the kinds of convictions that contributed to the founding of this country.—
Claire Messud,
Vogue,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An onboard synthesizer manipulates a small set of core sounds to mimic everything from the roar of a jet plane to the flushing of a toilet through a little speaker in the Brick.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Jan. 2026
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The brand also offers its own line of long-lasting polish that, when paired with its Magic Finish Top Coat, mimics the appearance and wearability of gel polish without having to use a UV lamp.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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