1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
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
That sentiment underplays the supportive aspect of beep baseball.
—Jay Copp, Christian Science Monitor, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
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
That sentiment underplays the supportive aspect of beep baseball.
—Jay Copp, Christian Science Monitor, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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So far, Democratic protests to TrumpRx have been understated.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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To say this happened fast is understating it.—
Mark Minevich,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Campbell is indispensable here and a solid actor who never overplays the terror but comes loaded for bear when her daughter inherits the curse of Ghostface.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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The production, though, has some issues, some of which flow from a tendency of some in this cast to overplay in this very intimate house, arranged by director Hallie Gordon very intimately.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fernandez also downplayed his team being in South Florida for most of the week.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Yet the handpicked chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has downplayed the importance of the vaccine for measles, as well as for polio and other highly contagious, deadly diseases.—
Jerome Adams,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead, California government has preferred to move quickly to enact laws to limit indoor residential water use.—
Daniel Kolkey,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
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Kaup said several neighboring communities — including Highland Park, Deerfield and Vernon Hills — have enacted similar bans.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Adrien Brody can’t stop overacting in a commercial for TurboTax.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Like other states around the country, Tennessee was closing its public psychiatric hospitals, and mentally ill people who acted out were simply being jailed.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Fleming acts out each detail with gusto, and this full sensory barrage earns him his loudest round of applause yet.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If the stakes in Olivia Ferney‘s social media videos aren’t high enough for you, Fifth Season is set to dramatize the ultra-luxury travel concierge’s fancy — and stressful — life, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
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The script stemmed from the desire to dramatize some situations and also the desire to shoot those scenes.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To prevent knee pain while running on the treadmill, Saad suggests setting the incline to 1 percent to mimic running outside.—
Danielle Zickl,
Outside,
8 Mar. 2026
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At one point, Styles’ car crashes beneath a truck and bursts into flames, one of several over-the-top moments that playfully mimic Hollywood action films.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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