1
as in understates
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in overplays
Related Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplays
Verb
-
Andrew Higgins, an aerospace engineer at McGill University, worries that the LEGO-like way that SR-1 Freedom has been planned—with lots of parts from different, unrelated projects just waiting to be bolted together—vastly understates the challenge ahead.—
David W. Brown,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026 -
The same metric that inflates benefits in some regulatory contexts, understates them in others.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
San Diego economist Ray Major downplays the impacts of declining immigration, pointing out that the far more concerning issue is the continuing exodus of residents, who far outnumber those who are moving here.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
However, the show downplays the severity of the incident and most crucially the fact that a child was present and injured in the melee.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The siting of the rites at the Colosseum—where it has been held since 1964, echoing a practice from the eighteenth century—means that the Pope enacts Jesus’ final hours not in a Baroque basilica but against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, which exercised power through violence.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Waymo doesn’t plan to launch its service in Minnesota until the state enacts new laws to set up basic regulations.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
9 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Underplays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplays. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
