1
as in dismissed
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minimized
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of played down
While primarily utilized as a winger during his career, Dembélé often played down the middle for Luis Enrique’s side, spearheading a fluent and formidable front three, flanked by the dynamic Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
—
David Close, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Throughout the war, Israeli officials have consistently played down the severity of hunger in Gaza.
—Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
That would seem to bode well for a team that has rarely played down to its competition this season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Trump played down expectations ahead of the meeting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
David Close, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Throughout the war, Israeli officials have consistently played down the severity of hunger in Gaza.
—Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
That would seem to bode well for a team that has rarely played down to its competition this season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Trump played down expectations ahead of the meeting.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played down
Verb
-
When Duffy threatened to revoke funds last month, a spokesperson for Newsom dismissed the attack and noted that CDL holders from California have a significantly lower rate of crashes than both the national average and that of Texas, which is the only state with more licensed commercial drivers.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Then in April, 2019 all charges against him were dismissed and Gibson walked free.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Readers urged her to trust her instincts and not allow herself to be minimized.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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The stories involving Olympia’s other underlings, Sarah Franklin (Leah Lewis) and Billy Martinez (David Del Rio), were often minimized and isolated.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nobody Wants This doesn’t fall off a creative cliff in its second season, but a lot of the charm is diminished.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
-
That’s not going to eliminate the nest, and ants may return when the chemical residue has diminished.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Russ Anderson also failed to challenge the bank’s incentive compensation program, failed to institute effective controls and repeatedly downplayed sales practices misconduct, Hsu previously said.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Tagovailoa, however, downplayed the existence of an internal rift.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After Tiffany Stratton was attacked by Giulia following her win over Kiana James, Jade Cargill ran down to fight the WWE Women's United States Champion off.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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After an officer fired two more ineffective beanbag rounds, Ly abruptly ran down a nearby alley.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While Joan is visiting the Westside Hospital with her students, Michael (Omar Metwally) offers her the Chief of Internal Medicine position after she, not very subtly, told him not to hire anyone who is asking for it and talked down other potential candidates.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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Last week, Ralo took to social media to call Thug a divisive figure who had previously talked down on Rich Homie Quan and YFN Lucci to peers in a similar manner.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Played down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20down. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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