UNDERPLAY Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

underplay

verb

Definition of underplay

as in to understate

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Dissimilar Words

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

Verb

Entergy, in its statement Wednesday, said that the Democrat-Gazette's article contained a math error that understated Google's financial contributions to the project.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Even her beauty look was understated, from her unfussy low bun to her pretty pale-pink square manicure.

— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of understate

Verb

The brothers pepper in POV shots of the climbers to literally put the audience in their shoes, but don’t overplay their hand, maintaining palpable reality even when the challenges mount to comical levels.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Cienfuegos’ show is exceptionally well-acted by the entire cast, this being a company that holds its fictional characters close to the heart and is determined never to overplay in this intimate venue.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of overplay

Verb

Carrie Schmidt and Kimberly Twente were among a group of residents behind the petition seeking to enact a ban on large data centers in Edgerton.

— Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
What started in one state court has now spread across the country, with a plethora of athletes filing lawsuits against the NCAA, and now SEC, over new guidelines enacted pertaining to the five-for-five eligibility.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of enact

Verb

The next time your child acts out, try doing these five things.

— Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026
Inside, under flickering lights, a group of reluctant strangers is coaxed into acting out, in a converted gymnasium, a wild tale promising redemption from agonizing tragedy.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 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

The company now runs a 125,000-square-foot, three-soundstage facility with roughly 220 employees producing rotating sets — restaurants, school hallways, a courtroom, jail visitation rooms — designed to mimic a small town.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
In 1940 came the invention of nylon undergarments, which meant women of the midcentury could be more comfortable and less revealing in stockings that mimicked some skin tones.

— April White, JSTOR Daily, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of mimic

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underpins

underplay

underplayed

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Style

“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of underplay

verb

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