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
-
Oversight models that depend on static scoring risk understating true exposure.—
Bhavya Bhandari,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Their influence and their impact simply cannot be understated.—
Kelsey Stiegman,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The lack of Hollywood has possibly been overplayed, anyway.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
-
Lue has tried to stagger their minutes to not overplay them.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Koepele has a business interest in downplaying the danger in New York waters.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
30 May 2026
-
Asked about arms sales to Taiwan, Hegseth downplayed concerns that a multi-billion-dollar package could be affected as the United States draws down its weapons stockpiles amid the Middle East conflict.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
That coming Fall of 2020, universal masking in schools and daycares was recommended by the CDC and widespread mandates were enacted at the state, district and county levels for children as young as two.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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Instead, the measure freezes corporate net operating loss and enacts taxes on social media companies, digital assets, fantasy sports, tobacco and sports betting on prediction market websites.—
Lauren Victory,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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
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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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This is one of the earliest indicators of emotional intelligence because feelings with names become feelings that can be processed instead of acted out.—
Reem Raouda,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
-
Our workshop acted out parts of Shange’s text on the first day of a spring semester class in 2010.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The basic themes of Hearst’s life and the novels that dramatize it remain distressingly relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
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
-
The layout tries to mimic a corporate notice.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
Brown, tan, beige, and terra-cotta mimic the desert and prairie landscapes.—
Elle Turner,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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