underplay

verb

Definition of underplaynext
1
as in to understate

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in to overplay

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of underplay Not to underplay the seriousness of the situation, of course, but the suspect never made it inside. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026 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 Though Shakespeare in Love won best picture, Spielberg’s film led a worldwide wave of remembrance for WWII veterans, as well as conversations about previous films underplaying the trauma of combat. — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026 Cast against type, Stamos has fun slyly underplaying a thoroughly depraved character. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
  1. understate
  2. overplay
  3. downplay
  4. enact
  5. overact
  6. act out
  7. dramatize
  8. mimic
Verb
  • How Hiring Managers Mislead Job Candidates The Resume Genius report found that the most common form of misrepresentation was understating how difficult the role or team environment would be, cited by 32% of hiring managers.
    — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Another brand, Gestuz, demonstrated that tonal looks don't have to be exclusively minimalist or understated.
    — Miriam Nehring, Glamour, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of understate
Verb
  • Last season, Vítek Vaněček struggled in that role, which led the Mammoth to overplay Vejmelka for the second straight season.
    — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 25 June 2026
  • Campaigners, meanwhile, don’t want to overplay their hands.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 13 June 2026
Definition of overplay
Verb
  • Phuel founder and long-time CEO Garret Rock downplayed his current involvement in the company this week and declined to provide information on its current leadership.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But the professional class on Wall Street is downplaying that outcome.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of downplay
Verb
  • The change was enacted in the state budget bill and took effect July 1.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Americans kept lighting up, though, even after draconian federal and state anti-drug laws were enacted during the 1990s.
    — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of enact
Verb
  • 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
  • Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of overact
Verb
  • Artist Caroline and her daughter Lila are both haunted by what seems like an interior voice, one that encourages them to act out in ways that will draw the Cur’s attention.
    — Hannah Whitten, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
  • During one scene, Einbinder — dressed in a replica of a black dress Gyllenhaal wore in the original film — acted out an explicit orgasm as described in the script, breaking character in the middle of the scene to double over laughing.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 29 July 2026
Definition of act out
Verb
  • The Trial of Louise Woodward will dramatize the story of Woodward, an 18-year-old British au pair who in 1997 was accused of shaking to death a baby who was left in her care by her host family in Massachusetts.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
  • Two teenagers, aided by an arborist, climbed a 100-foot pine tree outside a Pasadena high school Saturday to dramatize a campaign to stop a soil remediation project calling for the removal of nearly 200 trees at several school campuses.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of dramatize
Verb
  • Made with biotin, shea butter, and beeswax, the mascara was formulated to mimic the nourishing, strengthening effects of a lash serum.
    — Micaela English, Glamour, 14 Aug. 2026
  • GLP-1s work by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone in the body that regulates blood sugar, appetite, and digestion.
    — Jessica Starr, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of mimic

Browse Nearby Words

underpins
underplay
underplayed
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Cite this Entry

“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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