as in minimizing
to reduce in apparent importance
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
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Recent Examples of downplaying
Too often, boards respond by downplaying concerns, offering vague explanations, or shifting blame elsewhere.
—
Committee Of 200, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Avoid apologizing, over-explaining or downplaying your value.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
His Cabinet members and economic advisers were out in force Sunday defending the tariffs and downplaying the consequences for the global economy.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2025
The White House issued a statement in response to questions from the AP about the protests, downplaying concerns about federal cuts.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
Their strategy of downplaying this as a non-issue backfired.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The lawsuit also targets Target CEO Brian Cornell, accusing him of downplaying the scope of customer boycotts following the company’s Pride Month campaign in May 2023.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2025
Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged the EU to get its own house in order by addressing trade barriers between member states, while downplaying the relative harm from potential US tariffs.
—Byjason Ma, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2025
Committee Of 200, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Avoid apologizing, over-explaining or downplaying your value.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
His Cabinet members and economic advisers were out in force Sunday defending the tariffs and downplaying the consequences for the global economy.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2025
The White House issued a statement in response to questions from the AP about the protests, downplaying concerns about federal cuts.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
Their strategy of downplaying this as a non-issue backfired.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The lawsuit also targets Target CEO Brian Cornell, accusing him of downplaying the scope of customer boycotts following the company’s Pride Month campaign in May 2023.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2025
Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged the EU to get its own house in order by addressing trade barriers between member states, while downplaying the relative harm from potential US tariffs.
—Byjason Ma, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplaying
Verb
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Mar. 2025
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After initially minimizing the severity of the measles outbreaks, Secretary Kennedy said his department has supported Texas health officials in part by providing doses of the MMR vaccine.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Most importantly, the proposal provides that, when discovery items are turned over belatedly, judges can impose consequences that stop short of dismissing the whole case, if a lesser remedy can ensure fairness to the defendant.—
Jane Manning,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Just a few days later, the Israeli government effectively began the process of dismissing Gali Baharav-Miara, Israel’s attorney general.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplaying. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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