play down
Make seem smaller
To play down something is to minimize its importance or significance, treating it as less serious than it might actually be.
The opposite of playing something up.
Officials played down the health risks.
She played down her role in the project's success.
Express with restraint
- underplayMinimize emphasis or expression
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- trivializeMake light of
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
make light of · gloss over · brush aside · dismiss · discount · shrug off · wave away · belittle
understate
Express with restraint
- underplayMinimize emphasis or expression
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- trivializeMake light of
soft-pedal · make light of · gloss over · brush aside · dismiss · discount · shrug off · wave away · belittle · diminish
hide
Conceal or pelt
bury · suppress · hush up · keep quiet · mute · muffle · dampen · deflect · sidestep · skirt
temper
State of mind
attenuate · mitigate · cushion · blunt · dilute · ease · subdue · mellow · restrain · tame
- discretiondiscreet, discretion, subtle, understated, unobtrusive
- dismissingbrush aside, brush off, wave off, shrug off, blow off
- softensoften, dampen, mute, muffle, moderate
- sugarcoatingsweeten, soften, gloss over, whitewash, soft-pedal
- Reduceshrink, diminish, decrease, lessen, reduce
play downplay up
Emphasize beyond proportion
exaggerate · emphasize · overstate · hype · amplify
play downmake a fuss
overreact · blow out of proportion · catastrophize · panic · make a mountain out of a molehill
play, down, player, playing, played, downhill, plays, downcast, players