underplay
Act with restraint
To underplay is to downplay or represent something as less significant than it is: The report underplays the risks involved.
In acting or performance, underplaying means restraining expression rather than being dramatic—letting the material speak without overselling it.
The opposite of overplay.
She underplayed the emotional scene to devastating effect.
Reduce to smallest extent
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- trivializeMake light of
- belittleTo make something seem unimportant
understate · underestimate · discount · devalue · depreciate · talk down · make light of · gloss over
Not immediately obvious
- low-keyRestrained and understated
- restrainedHeld under control
- subduedReduced in intensity
- mutedMade quieter or softer
quiet · modest · unassuming · unpretentious · unobtrusive · tasteful · elegant · refined
Carrying out a task
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- rolePosition or part
- deliveryConveyance of goods
- portrayalDepiction of someone
interpretation · naturalistic · subdued · low-key · restrained · wooden · flat · muted
Fine distinction, easily missed
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- finesseSubtle, deft handling
- tactSensitivity in speech
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
moderation · self-control · reserve · composure · temperance · judiciousness · tactfulness · understatement
minimize
Reduce to smallest extent
- de-emphasizeMinimize perceived significance
- soft-pedalDiminish stated significance
- trivializeMake light of
belittle · understate · underestimate · discount · devalue · depreciate · talk down · make light of · gloss over · brush off
subtle
Not immediately obvious
- low-keyRestrained and understated
- restrainedHeld under control
- subduedReduced in intensity
muted · quiet · modest · unassuming · unpretentious · unobtrusive · tasteful · elegant · refined · sophisticated
performance
Carrying out a task
portrayal · interpretation · naturalistic · subdued · low-key · restrained · wooden · flat · muted · deadpan
subtlety
Fine distinction, easily missed
discretion · moderation · self-control · reserve · composure · temperance · judiciousness · tactfulness · understatement · delicacy
- performingperform, sing, act, dance, rehearse
- discretiondiscreet, discretion, subtle, understated, unobtrusive
- dismissingbrush aside, brush off, wave off, shrug off, blow off
- softensoften, dampen, mute, muffle, tone down
- Understatementlitotes, meiosis, minimizing, undersell, not bad
- playing dumbfeign ignorance, blank stare, vacant stare, willful ignorance, selective memory
underplayoveract
Perform with excess
overplay · ham it up · chew the scenery · ham up · lay it on thick
underplayoverstate
Represent as greater
exaggerate · play up · overplay · overemphasize · emphasize