minimizing
Shrinking to least
Minimizing is making something as small as possible, or treating it as less important than it is.
You minimize a window on your computer screen, shrinking it out of the way.
Someone minimizes their role in a scandal to avoid blame: He kept minimizing his involvement, but the evidence told a different story.
To minimize risk is to reduce it; to minimize an achievement is to downplay it.
Become or make smaller
diminish · pare · trim · slash · shrink · downsize · scale back · cut back
Express low opinion of
- demeanLower in standing
- deprecateExpress earnest disapproval
- denigrateCriticize unfairly to harm
- diminishTo make smaller
discredit · undermine · devalue · trivialize · ridicule · mock · scorn · disdain
Enforceable written agreement
- compressReduce volume by force
- condenseMake more compact
- compactTightly packed together
- constrictTo squeeze tightly
narrow · tighten · squeeze · reduce · deflate · collapse · consolidate · concentrate
Express with restraint
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- play downDiminish perceived significance
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- underplayMinimize emphasis or expression
gloss over · whitewash · sugarcoat · tone down · brush off · discount · talk down · deflect
decrease
Become or make smaller
curtail · diminish · pare · trim · slash · shrink · downsize · scale back · cut back · limit
disparage
Express low opinion of
diminish · discredit · undermine · devalue · trivialize · ridicule · mock · scorn · disdain · insult
contract
Enforceable written agreement
constrict · narrow · tighten · squeeze · reduce · deflate · collapse · consolidate · concentrate · distill
understate
Express with restraint
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- play downDiminish perceived significance
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
underplay · gloss over · whitewash · sugarcoat · tone down · brush off · discount · talk down · deflect · sidestep
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- beauty termsmatte, dewy, hydrating, moisturizing, smoothing
- decliningdeclining, waning, fading, diminishing, decreasing
- declutteringdecluttering, organizing, donating, purging, discarding
- disrespectinsulting, belittling, demeaning, mocking, ridiculing
- downplayingdownplay, trivializing, belittling, soft-pedal, dismissing
minimizingmaximizing
Increasing to fullest extent
increasing · enlarging · expanding · amplifying · magnifying
minimizingexaggerating
Overstating for effect
overstating · maximizing · amplifying · magnifying · hyperbole
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