laughed off
Made light of
To laugh off is to dismiss something by treating it as unworthy of serious concern.
Someone might laugh off criticism, an insult, or a minor injury: She laughed off suggestions that she was too old for the role.
The phrase implies deflecting with humor or casual dismissal rather than engaging directly.
- dismissalRemoval from position
- amusementPleased entertainment state
- brushed asideDismissed without serious thought
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
played down · nonchalance · pooh-poohed · relief · trivialization · no big deal · denial · self-deprecation · rationalization · irony · embarrassment · wit · defensiveness · reframing · parody · indifference · waved away · avoidance
emotional response to criticism or difficulty
laughed offtook to heart
Absorbed emotionally, personally
confronted · mulled over · internalized · acknowledged · validated
laugh, laughed, laughing, laughs, laughter, laughable, laughably, laugher, off