toning down
Making less extreme
Toning down means reducing intensity, force, or extremity.
You tone down criticism to make it less harsh, tone down colors to make them less vivid, tone down rhetoric to make it less inflammatory.
The phrase suggests moderation without complete elimination: She toned down her language for the interview still implies some edge remains.
Often used as a request or suggestion: Could you tone it down a little?
- softeningBecoming less firm
- mutingSuppressing sound output
- subduingBringing under control
- dialing backDecreasing intensity or extent
- scaling backReducing size or extent
tempering · moderating · taking the edge off · dampening · mellowing · easing · easing up · restraining · hushing · quieting · fading · dimming · lowering · underplaying · downplaying · soft pedaling · gentling · smoothing
- downplayingminimizing, downplay, trivializing, belittling, soft-pedal
- reducingshrinking, lessening, diminishing, decreasing, cutting back
- censorshipbanned books, censored, banned, book banning, book bans
- retreatback away, back off, withdrawal, retreating, back up
- silencingsilencing, muting, hushing, shushing, quieting
toning downamplifying
Increasing strength or intensity
turning up · cranking up · ramping up · intensifying · boosting
toning downplaying up
Emphasizing excessively
exaggerating · overstating · talking up · overstatement · emphasizing
toning downbrightening
Increasing in light
punching up · jazzing up · spicing up · enlivening · intensifying
tone, tones, toned, toning, tonal, tonality, toneless, overtone, undertone