as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
you're at a point in your career where you can de-emphasize your academic record and emphasize your work experience
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Recent Examples of de-emphasized
The changes have included an overhaul of Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has de-emphasized a listing of relevant web links in its results and increasingly highlighted AI overviews and conversational responses provided through an AI mode.
—
Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-emphasized
Verb
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The team concluded the term more accurately reflects the condition’s endocrine, metabolic and reproductive features while helping reduce misunderstanding for patients who have long felt their diagnosis was minimized.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
-
The fire was extinguished on the roof, and damage was minimized.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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By and large, Republicans were also reluctant to weigh in on Netanyahu’s proposal, and several downplayed the impact in interviews with the Washington Examiner.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
-
Bob’s family regularly told him that, of course, but Bob always downplayed it.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
That lawsuit was dismissed in December.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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For business leaders and investors, the May 20 vote should not be dismissed as symbolic diplomacy.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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In fact, several of the investigators believed the shooting was intentional, and that the Biden administration had actually soft-pedaled the investigation’s findings to appease Israel.—
Scott Griffen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“De-emphasized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-emphasized. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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