downplay

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It makes sense to downplay the overall financial exposure so investors don't leave," Eric Goldman, an associate dean and professor at Santa Clara University School of Law in Silicon Valley, told the BBC.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

“South Korea will downplay the moving of U.S. assets to maintain a good relationship with Trump,” said Grossman, who is now a professor at the University of Southern California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

This manages to both downplay the role of public health, vaccines, and antibiotics in expanding lifespans and ignore the fact that the Horsemen—especially cancer and neurodegenerative diseases—are ailments of aging.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026

The reporters had also established that the so-called “after-action” report on the fire had been altered to downplay failures by the department and the city, all of which was scandalous enough.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026

The term used by linguists to describe what Klotz was engaging in in that moment is “mitigated speech,” which refers to any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell