as in to downplay
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
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Recent Examples of soft-pedal
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
The playwright further soft-pedals the protagonist by mitigating his toxic views on eugenics that in Ibsen (no matter how problematic his own beliefs) point to some basic shortcomings in humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
The controversy began with criticisms of some universities, Harvard included, for soft-pedaling their responses to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and for then ignoring the overheated rhetoric of many pro-Palestinian protesters on campus.
—Stephen L. Carter, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024
Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
The playwright further soft-pedals the protagonist by mitigating his toxic views on eugenics that in Ibsen (no matter how problematic his own beliefs) point to some basic shortcomings in humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
The controversy began with criticisms of some universities, Harvard included, for soft-pedaling their responses to the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and for then ignoring the overheated rhetoric of many pro-Palestinian protesters on campus.
—Stephen L. Carter, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024
Noun
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedal
Verb
-
Interestingly, the Administration is not downplaying the impact of all this uncertainty but rather warning that some short-term pain will be worth the long term gains.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Signs of a slowdown For now, most Wall Street analysts downplay the risks of an immediate recession, noting that the job market remains healthy.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The anti-dive effect of that front suspension is quite noticeable under braking, and in either Normal or Sport mode, the damper settings are well-calibrated for bumpy back roads.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
29 Jan. 2025
-
The front suspension uses unequal-length wishbones with coil-over dampers, and the car has a coil-spring live-rear axle.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Windows users can minimize data collection by adjusting their privacy settings under 'Diagnostics & feedback.' 2.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
The Osmo fabric that makes up the Nemo Dagger is a polyester/ripstop nylon blend designed to minimize stretching when wet to prevent sagging (that can cause your tent to cave in) and any moisture seeping through the material.—
Taylor Fox,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2022
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her – sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Dec. 2022
Verb
-
Trump also dismissed several days of volatility in the stock market – and ensuing concerns that a recession will rock the U.S. this year.—
Marina Pitofsky,
USA TODAY,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Trump upon taking office dismissed the DOJ employees who worked on his two criminal prosecutions with Smith.—
Erin Doherty,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt: A 33-year-old man from St. Charles was arrested on charges of loud excessive noise caused by a muffler or lack thereof, improper lighting and driving under the influence of alcohol at 11:11 p.m. Feb. 15 at Raymond Drive and West Diehl Road.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
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Located inside a Googie-style former muffler shop building at 4839 E. Colfax Ave.—
Jonathan Shikes,
The Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to soft-pedal
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedal. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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