1
as in overemphasizing
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in underplaying
Related Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overplaying
Verb
-
Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.—
Riley J. Steiner,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026 -
Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Herzog naturally plays up the enigma at hand with epic grandeur, occasionally overdoing it but usually hitting the mark.—
Eric Kohn,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But nighttime pain that woke me every few hours was likely from overdoing, Bugbee’s nurse explained.—
Nicole Sours Larson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even while enacting revenge on her neighbor, Peet’s on-screen persona remains thoughtfully comfortable.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
-
At a time when states are enacting an anti-voting agenda to limit who can participate in elections, Maryland must set the standard for an inclusive democracy, not falling short of it.—
Nicole D. Porter,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But in early 2024, a short seller accused it of exaggerating the role of artificial intelligence in its business model, leading to a class action lawsuit and a 30% drop in its share price.—
Perrie M. Weiner,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Iranian hackers boasted online of the hacks against Patel and the medical device maker while exaggerating their impact.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.—
Darío Gael Blanco,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This reality means that the environmental review angle can be an effective veto over development by NIMBY groups and others acting out of ideological rather than environmentally-conscious concerns.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 1998, Buffett warned against overstating your impact.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Grounding researchers describe this as a form of electrical disconnection from the natural world that may be contributing to the rise in chronic inflammatory conditions — a framing worth including without overstating causation.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to recentering the story, the new show shies away from violence on screen, so as to avoid sensationalizing Gacy.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
13 Nov. 2025
-
Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
People in the entertainment industry have slammed AI for mimicking artists’ voices and likenesses.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Wiseman hypothesized that stronger magnetic fields may affect the brain, similar to how electrical stimulation of the angular gyrus can make one feel as if there is another person standing behind, mimicking one’s movements.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Overplaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overplaying. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
