DOWNPLAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does downplay mean? 

• DOWNPLAY (verb)
  The verb DOWNPLAY has 2 senses:

1. represent as less significant or important

2. understate the importance or quality of

  Familiarity information: DOWNPLAY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOWNPLAY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they downplay    ... he / she / it downplays   
Past simple: downplayed   
Past participle: downplayed   
-ing form: downplaying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Represent as less significant or important

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

downplay; minimise; minimize; understate

Hypernyms (to "downplay" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "downplay"):

trivialise; trivialize (make trivial or insignificant)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Understate the importance or quality of

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

background; downplay; play down

Context example:

he played down his royal ancestry

Hypernyms (to "downplay" is one way to...):

accent; accentuate; emphasise; emphasize; punctuate; stress (to stress, single out as important)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "downplay"):

wave off (dismiss as insignificant)

soft-pedal (play down or obscure)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

At work, if you have been working under a tough boss, that person may now either quit or will downplay the domineering tactics.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)