downplayed

verb

past tense of downplay
as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success

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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 downplayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly downplayed settler violence, tried to cast doubt on the attack. — Dana Karni, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 The president downplayed the criticism within his party over the agreement, which would supply the United States and global marketplaces with diesel equivalent to only a little more than one day of global demand. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … -- POLITICS PACIFIC STANDOFF — Iran war's unexpected impact on US defenses against China threat downplayed by top Army leader. — FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy has downplayed the severity, even as the incidence of other vaccine-preventable diseases is rising. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 Iranian officials have long downplayed the significance of military ties with Russia, or denied them. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Oct. 2026 Arvell Reese turned in a dominant performance with Hall of Fame New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in attendance, then downplayed it. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 In a statement, ICE downplayed the significance of the memo, which said the new guidance was intended to replace and amend prior directives issued earlier this year, last year and in 2018. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026 When asked about rampant rumors that Sarandos had been courting HBO/HBO Max content chairman Casey Bloys for a job or production deal, the exec downplayed it. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
  1. minimized
  2. dismissed
  3. de-emphasized
  4. soft-pedaled
Verb
  • Profit is simply what remains after wages are held down, taxes are minimized, and costs are pushed onto workers, communities, and the environment.
    — Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Thornton has minimized the relevance of the previous paragraph.
    — Sam McDowell October 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of minimized
Verb
  • Williams argued that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo’s state-law claims involving breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him free to pursue those claims separately in state court.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Last weekend in Highland, Michigan, Rogers dismissed El-Sayed's attempts to whittle away at his GOP base of support.
    — Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Our tactile and sensory life has been de-emphasized in favor of ideas, symbols, accomplishments, and abstractions.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of de-emphasized
Verb
  • 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
Definition of soft-pedaled

Browse Nearby Words

downplay
downplayed
downplaying
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Cite this Entry

“Downplayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplayed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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