downplaying

verb

present participle of downplay
as in minimizing
to reduce in apparent importance he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 downplaying In Senate hearings, Paul has repeatedly accused Fauci of downplaying the theory that the virus emerged from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan rather than jumping from animals to humans naturally. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 The American Academy of Pediatrics has accused federal leaders of downplaying the risk of measles and offering misinformation about the vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. — Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 Other chat logs included in the lawsuit also show ChatGPT dissuading Winters from seeking hospital care and downplaying Winters’ wife’s concerns about her husband’s health. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 22 July 2026 He was called to testify as a witness at Rubiales’ criminal trial in February 2025, where prosecutors sought jail time over the kiss and alleged efforts to pressure Hermoso into downplaying it. — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 The plaintiffs’ lawyers countered that Royal Caribbean was greatly downplaying the injuries the victims suffered. — Miami Herald, 9 June 2026 Fifield fired back at the New York Times in an X post on Friday for downplaying the story. — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026 Nilsson, an incorrigible Midwesterner, had a history of downplaying her depth. — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026 National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett painted a rosy picture of the economy Sunday, downplaying Americans' growing pessimism about the economy amid high gas prices and rising inflation as the Iran war goes on. — Ford McCracken, ABC News, 31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplaying
  1. minimizing
  2. dismissing
Verb
  • The blades fold inward, flat alongside the main generator housing, minimizing the risk of losing small components in the backcountry.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The advantages of virtual trading extend beyond simply minimizing financial risk.
    — Michael Martin, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Verb
  • Exxon was far from alone in its historical awareness of CO₂ and rigorous research into its ongoing ecological impacts—and in its subsequent shift toward dismissing or denying the veracity of its own science.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Developer Senko Rasic argued in post that went viral - that dismissing coding as never having been the hard part insults programmers.
    — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing

Browse Nearby Words

downplayed
downplaying
downplays
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Cite this Entry

“Downplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplaying. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on downplaying

Nglish: Translation of downplaying for Spanish Speakers

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