as in minimizing
to reduce in apparent importance
you're at a point in your career where you can de-emphasize your academic record and emphasize your work experience
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Recent Examples of de-emphasizing
Atmos Rewards functions as a third front door to Alaska/Hawaiian, intentionally de-emphasizing airline branding to enable expansion across the broader travel ribbon.
—
Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Critics argue that the Dalai Lama’s middle way, which prioritizes dialogue and reconciliation while de-emphasizing mass mobilization, has kept the movement from reaching its full potential and leveraging its explosive strength in the struggle against Beijing.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Critics argue that the Dalai Lama’s middle way, which prioritizes dialogue and reconciliation while de-emphasizing mass mobilization, has kept the movement from reaching its full potential and leveraging its explosive strength in the struggle against Beijing.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for de-emphasizing
Verb
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
25 Oct. 2025
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Macy is a surprisingly empathetic narrator, seeking to find common ground with QAnon conspiracists and Second Amendment fundamentalists, without ever minimizing her own beliefs.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As a book by the late Virginia Giuffre sparks new international interest in Jeffrey Epstein, House Republicans are still downplaying the need for a vote on releasing the Justice Department’s case files.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, Sherrill, who is also a former federal prosecutor, has blasted Ciattarelli's former medical publishing company for producing materials downplaying the dangers of opioids.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the aftermath of the meeting, LSU personnel met to discuss the viability of dismissing the coach, considering his massive buyout clause.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Comments such as these underlie the medical establishment’s long history of dismissing women’s pain, which can further harm their health.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“De-emphasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de-emphasizing. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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