as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
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Recent Examples of downplayed
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
The same week both citizens were held, administration officials spoke on a panel at a border security conference in Phoenix and downplayed and denied that citizens have been mistakenly detained.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
Waters, the prosecutor, downplayed the notion that the defense has an advantage on retrial, noting that by law the state has to give the defense all the evidence ahead of time.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
During proceedings, prosecutors downplayed testimony from three former Google executives who said Google’s investment in GoTo was unrelated to the Indonesian government’s decision to procure Chromebooks for schools.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Many community leaders and local officials downplayed the impact of SB 79 on San Diego when it was approved last October because the city had already done significant upzoning near many of its trolley stops, especially in University City and Mission Valley.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
The AfD has become more radical since then, and some of its prominent members have openly used Nazi language and downplayed the Holocaust.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Both downplayed the gathering as random and platonic.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
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
The same week both citizens were held, administration officials spoke on a panel at a border security conference in Phoenix and downplayed and denied that citizens have been mistakenly detained.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
Waters, the prosecutor, downplayed the notion that the defense has an advantage on retrial, noting that by law the state has to give the defense all the evidence ahead of time.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
During proceedings, prosecutors downplayed testimony from three former Google executives who said Google’s investment in GoTo was unrelated to the Indonesian government’s decision to procure Chromebooks for schools.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Many community leaders and local officials downplayed the impact of SB 79 on San Diego when it was approved last October because the city had already done significant upzoning near many of its trolley stops, especially in University City and Mission Valley.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
The AfD has become more radical since then, and some of its prominent members have openly used Nazi language and downplayed the Holocaust.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Both downplayed the gathering as random and platonic.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
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
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The fire was extinguished on the roof, and damage was minimized.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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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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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
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
“Downplayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplayed. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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