1
as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of played down
Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.
—
Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Jim and Jeff have played down concerns after Meta recently lost two social media addiction court cases.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
The 2023 Open was played down Highway 1 at Pebble Beach.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Jim and Jeff have played down concerns after Meta recently lost two social media addiction court cases.
—Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
The 2023 Open was played down Highway 1 at Pebble Beach.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
The Red Sox had never fired a manger in-season since John Henry purchased the team in 2002, and throughout the franchise’s existence no manager had ever been dismissed midseason so early in the campaign.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, dozens of experts who provided independent evaluations for biomedical research were dismissed from National Institute of Health science review boards.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those fights faded once governments began delineating specific zones where such projects were allowed and impacts could be minimized.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Warsh also minimized the president’s threats against the central bank, asserting that the Fed isn’t actually in any immediate danger of being coerced.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, Apple hasn’t followed its megacap peers in sinking tens of billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, which has diminished the stock’s correlation to the rest of the tech industry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
DeCosta downplayed the focus on size and said the team’s personnel staff is always looking for different types of players.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
During cross-examination, Nuñez admitted being incensed about Intriago using his name but downplayed any ramifications.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the fifth inning, Witt ran down a shallow fly ball in left field.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, who are set to challenge the champions on the upcoming Monday Night Raw, ran down to make the save.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Baldwin also said district custodians are understaffed, supplied with broken or old equipment, have been denied language interpreters during meetings and are in general talked down to by administrative staff.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
There’s always a chance that Fetterman’s prospective foes get talked down from the ledge.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Played down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20down. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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