plays down
Makes seem smaller
To play something down is to minimize its importance or significance, treating it as less serious than it might be: The company played down the security breach.
The opposite of play up.
Someone might play down their own achievements out of modesty, or play down bad news to avoid alarm.
Minimize emphasis or expression
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- understateExpress with restraint
- gloss overMinimize or conceal flaws
brush aside · make light of · shrug off · discount · diminish · trivialize · belittle · undervalue
To make something seem unimportant
- denigrateCriticize unfairly to harm
- deprecateExpress earnest disapproval
- devalueReduce perceived worth
- demeanLower in standing
knock · slight · diminish · badmouth · discredit · undermine · cheapen · deflate
underplay
Minimize emphasis or expression
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- understateExpress with restraint
gloss over · brush aside · make light of · shrug off · discount · diminish · trivialize · belittle · undervalue · underestimate
belittle
To make something seem unimportant
- denigrateCriticize unfairly to harm
- deprecateExpress earnest disapproval
- devalueReduce perceived worth
demean · knock · slight · diminish · badmouth · discredit · undermine · cheapen · deflate · disrespect
disregard
Willful lack of attention
sideline · brush off · wave away · pooh-pooh · write off · pay no mind · turn a blind eye · shelve · set aside · marginalize
litotes
Understatement via negation
- meiosisGamete-producing cell division
- restraintControl over impulses
- subtletyFine distinction, easily missed
modesty · reserve · low-key · euphemism · tact · diplomacy · self-deprecation · humility · discreetness · soft-pedaling
- criticismscriticizes, disparages, condemns, denounces, censures
plays downplays up
Overemphasizes or exaggerates
exaggerates · emphasizes · highlights · accentuates · magnifies
plays downexaggerates
Overstates for effect
overstates · sensationalizes · dramatizes · makes a mountain out of a molehill · blows up
play, down, plays, played, playing, player, players, playful, playfully