DOWNPLAYS Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

downplays

verb

present tense third-person singular of downplay

as in minimizes

to reduce in apparent importance he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 downplays That's likely why Mindelle downplays that part of the gig, and instead focuses on the comedy that keeps her on her toes. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 Even as Sand downplays party politics, Democrats are putting faith in him to blaze a trail in the state after struggling electorally in recent cycles. — ABC News, 7 June 2026 Ezelle, however, downplays his role in advising DBGI. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026 The proposition has been met with backlash online, as some believe the name insinuates a connection to the president or downplays the importance of the man who donated the land, whom it is named after. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026 The accessibility of these supplements without restrictions normalizes their use and downplays their serious health risks. — Jad Abdel Nour, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026 Benjamin Netanyahu signals restraint on energy strikes and downplays Iran’s capabilities. — Abhishek Shanker, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026 San Diego economist Ray Major downplays the impacts of declining immigration, pointing out that the far more concerning issue is the continuing exodus of residents, who far outnumber those who are moving here. — Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026 Happily, in his aptly peculiar film, docmaker Xander Robin downplays the boredom in favor of the adrenalin, and even more compellingly, of the Challenge’s diverse but uniformly eccentric sociological makeup. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 10 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for downplays

Verb

The standard razor features a moisturizer bar infused with aloe and shea butter, which helps the five sharp blades to glide smoothly over your skin and minimizes irritation.

— Sara Coughlin, Allure, 5 July 2026
These days, some displays use drone shows instead of combustible pyrotechnics, which further minimizes the fire risk.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of minimizes

Verb

Amon, a Brazilian engineer who joined Qualcomm 30 years ago and became its CEO in 2021, dismisses the notion that this is all too much for Qualcomm to chase at once, saying the company has been on this reinvention path many times before.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 27 June 2026
De Borbon dismisses the accusations as coming from a small group of disgruntled owners.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026

Definition of dismisses

Browse Nearby Words

downplaying

downplays

downpour

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Downplays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downplays. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of downplays

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on downplays

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes