as in muted
not excessively showy
the actor's understated interpretation of the lead role is surprisingly compelling
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in minimized
to say that (something) is smaller, less important, etc., than it really is
He understated his taxable income. She's trying to understate the issue/problem.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of understated
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
With an understated mix of blue and yellow tones that provide warmth but still feel muted.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 6 Nov. 2025
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
The casual space and its furnishings are modern and understated, with a floor plan drenched in natural light thanks to windows on all sides.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for understated
Adjective
The voice performances are consistently excellent, with young Hoang-Rappaport and Janssen amusingly energetic and Liu and Milioti conveying understated emotion as the parents going through a rough patch.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
With an understated mix of blue and yellow tones that provide warmth but still feel muted.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
It was all suitably muted and understated.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
The casual space and its furnishings are modern and understated, with a floor plan drenched in natural light thanks to windows on all sides.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for understated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understated
Adjective
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That snare sound is as instantly identifiable as Miles Davis’s muted horn or Eddie Van Halen’s pyrotechnic neck tapping.—
John Lingan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
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With an understated mix of blue and yellow tones that provide warmth but still feel muted.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Many employers minimized the risk by refusing to hire Black workers altogether.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The crowd roared when the Blue Jays got a big hit or a big out, and even booed when the baseball game was minimized into a smaller window when the puck was dropped.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Chicago Bears were relatively quiet ahead of the NFL trade deadline.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Hotel Fasano São Paulo Itaim Consistently top-notch, from the beds to the dining, Hotel Fasano exudes quiet luxury.—
Jade Moyano,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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While Nash-Betts wore a plunging electric blue gown with a mermaid silhouette, Betts coordinated in a snakeskin trenchcoat with a more subdued shade of blue.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
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Fernandez decorated the home’s interiors with a warm, subdued palette to give the place a serene family-friendly vibe.—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The domestic violence case was dismissed and the theft charge had yet to be disputed in court.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Carrie, meanwhile, is villainized for her admittedly deluded quest to reunite with her biological son in a world that has dismissed them.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Over the next several weeks, Fan was beaten, starved, and restrained.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
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Special shout-out to Harper’s performance, which strikes me as a restrained cousin to John Cleese’s turn as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Russian space agency has previously downplayed the danger of its weapons tests in space.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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In a separate interview with CNN on Wednesday, Luntz also downplayed inflation as an election issue and drew a distinction with affordability.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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According to Bruce Blair, a former Air Force launch officer and nuclear policy expert, between 1962 and the mid-1970s the most powerful digits on the globe were simple – eight zeros.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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That something as simple as a COVID vaccine might improve survival in cancer patients receiving standard immunotherapy has taken oncologists by surprise — in a good way.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Understated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understated. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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