Synonyms of downplaying

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

• minimizing
• dismissing
• de-emphasizing
• soft-pedaling
• understating
• playing down
• underplaying
• denigrating
• belittling
• disparaging
• decrying
• derogating
• deprecating
• depreciating
• running down
• talking down
• trashing
• bad-mouthing
• crying down
• trash-talking
• poor-mouthing
• putting down
• kissing off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exaggerating
• overstating
• overdoing
• elaborating
• stretching
• overdrawing
• magnifying
• embellishing
• padding
• embroidering
• hedging
• overemphasizing
• fudging
• overplaying
• sensationalizing
• melodramatizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of downplaying

In recent weeks, Mets fans have tried to rewrite history, downplaying his role as a leader, and Pete Alonso’s as well. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

The complaint suggested that OpenAI’s defense will likely be to blame Van Rootselaar for their violent inputs, while downplaying ChatGPT’s outputs. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

Baseball has a long tradition of players downplaying injuries, out of a desire to play and a belief in their own perseverance. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Those inside Netflix, per individuals with close knowledge of the company, are downplaying the significance of this theatrical flirtation. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

These positive connotations associated with scientific research help the AI industry signal altruism while downplaying their profit-making ambitions. — Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Over the years, Marco Polo has adapted to the neighborhood’s changing demographics by downplaying its old-world Italian extravagance. — Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026

Much like Big Tobacco was forced to admit that cigarettes can cause cancer or Purdue Pharma was forced to stop downplaying the risks of OxyContin, this agreement now puts Meta’s core products in a negative light. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

One of Gates’ most striking claims, though, is that tech leaders are knowingly downplaying AI’s risks because of the money involved. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026