1
as in understating
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2
as in overplaying
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplaying
Verb
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Michkov’s sophomore season has been a dud, and that may be understating it.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026 -
In that scenario, the song is actually understating the case.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But good luck downplaying this moment, because Brown played the same two courses as Scheffler.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, is downplaying the bombshell report suggesting Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss has grown tired of his client.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Officials in India are enacting precautions to prevent further spread of the virus, with quarantine and surveillance measures in place.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Officials in India are enacting precautions to prevent further spread of the virus, with quarantine and surveillance measures in place.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By mimicking these parameters, Zhu created an AI model, dubbed TongTong, which exists in a virtual city with her own drives, motivations, and limited autonomy.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
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So the team put it to the test, mimicking real-world treatment and wear and tear.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
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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This world is rarely gentle to people who are hurt, vulnerable, acting out.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, previously said in a statement that accounts imitating other people go against their terms of service and are removed when flagged.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
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Broncos fans have rallied around their backup quarterback, with thousands of fans changing their social media avatars to a picture of Stidham’s face, photoshopped with sunglasses and headphones, imitating a LeBron James meme.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While not everyone gets their wishes, those with no interest in taking on the deceptive — and challenging — role of a Traitor likely won't be chosen.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trying To Avoid The Generic However, having minimal buttons is hardly an original design strategy when so many EVs have followed this route (aping Tesla).—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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The failure of Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, which reimagined this towering icon into a skittering lizard that was clearly aping more from Jurassic Park than any of the kaiju films that came before it, positioned the start of Godzilla’s third era as something of a return to form.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Underplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplaying. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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