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 Quincy Mayor Tom Koch is not backing down and has downplayed the religious meaning of the statues. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 The Treasury Department has previously warned Chinese financial institutions that they could be sanctioned, but in public statements, top administration officials have downplayed China's role in the conflict. — Chris Boccia, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 In addition, in his instructions to the jury, Justice Justin Dewey downplayed the circumstantial evidence. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 Contreras, who has been playing through a leg issue recently, downplayed the incident postgame. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Goode, who has made his living as a special teams standout with 698 snaps in three seasons, and could take that route to earning a roster spot again this season, downplayed his backburner status at edge rusher. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026 The Ravens, however, have consistently supported Loop and downplayed the need to bring in another kicker. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 Phuel founder and long-time CEO Garret Rock downplayed his current involvement in the company this week and declined to provide information on its current leadership. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Aug. 2026 But the American Civil Liberties Union, a long-standing Flock critic, downplayed the new changes as minor. — Kevin Collier, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplayed
  1. minimized
  2. dismissed
  3. de-emphasized
  4. soft-pedaled
Verb
  • The buffers that have minimized the disruption so far will hold for only so long and must be reinforced if the world is to endure future shocks.
    — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Without getting into specifics, Robins minimized the potential impact of the CFTC’s rules on DraftKings’ market making business in an interview with Sportico on Friday morning.
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimized
Verb
  • Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Gonzalez Rogers initially dismissed the case, though the Supreme Court later took it up and ruled that consumers could sue the company.
    — Jeffrey Kopp, CNBC, 22 Aug. 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 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of downplayed for Spanish Speakers

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