1
as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of played down
Comcast executives on the analyst call played down the notion that the two companies were being positioned for another deal.
—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Rutte confirmed the drawdown but played down its impact.
—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Claims of an arrangement along those lines have been played down at the Newcastle end.
—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Advertisement New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a long-suffering Knicks fan who attended a playoff game on May 21, has played down the chances of Gotham City-style meltdown.
—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
27 May 2026
But Rubio played down the issue.
—
Lorne Cook,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
But Adcock initially played down expectations by noting that the Figure team was aiming for the robots to work for eight hours straight, whereas a previous Figure demo had lasted just one hour.
—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
20 May 2026
Maresca played down those reports at the time.
—
ABC News,
19 May 2026
The news came as BlackRock and JPMorgan played down fears of an AI bubble.
—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
6 May 2026
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Rutte confirmed the drawdown but played down its impact.
—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Claims of an arrangement along those lines have been played down at the Newcastle end.
—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Advertisement New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a long-suffering Knicks fan who attended a playoff game on May 21, has played down the chances of Gotham City-style meltdown.
—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
27 May 2026
But Rubio played down the issue.
—
Lorne Cook,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
But Adcock initially played down expectations by noting that the Figure team was aiming for the robots to work for eight hours straight, whereas a previous Figure demo had lasted just one hour.
—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
20 May 2026
Maresca played down those reports at the time.
—
ABC News,
19 May 2026
The news came as BlackRock and JPMorgan played down fears of an AI bubble.
—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
Interviewed following his win on ESPN, the 42-year-old Chestnut dismissed, more or less, the impact of today’s 92 degree New York heat on the proceedings.
-
The nonprofit, which alleged the county violated the Surplus Lands Act by not first exploring affordable-housing development at the site, still has not dismissed its lawsuit.
Verb
-
These behaviors are often minimized as personality quirks or generational differences.
-
Highlight details are more vivid and color bleeding is minimized.
Verb
-
But later, when the same image appeared alongside a photo of someone the participant relied on for support, like a partner, parent, or friend, the fear response diminished.
-
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s great rival, who is forty-one and diminished, showed the danger of staying too long.
Verb
-
Streamers including Netflix have downplayed their interest in taking on solo ownership of the Emmys and the fact hat none of these companies has snapped up the rights so far is telling.
-
Kevin Hassett, director of the White House's National Economic Council, downplayed Thursday's report, pointing to a positive trend for the labor market in previous months.
Verb
-
Everyone inside the building ran down the emergency stairs.
-
Byron Buxton scorched a double into the gap that Andy Pages ran down and, without stopping, whipped back to Betts as the cutoff man.
Verb
-
The contractors talked down to me.
-
Others described feeling they were being talked down to.
Cite this Entry
“Played down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20down. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
