1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
Gonski said that in addition to overstating certifiers’ responsibilities, Follow the Law’s messaging underplays the protections that already exist.
—
Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2024
In this controversial Claire Denis work, her longtime themes of desire and survival are crystallized in a dead-eyed probe into understanding our most base impulses and the tension underplaying unsteady erotic connections.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Just using endorsement badges to facilitate user choice could be underplaying its value, however.
—London Business School, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
But a new analysis this week from the Associated Press concludes the report was based on old data that underplayed the extent of the military’s extremism problem.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2024
In this controversial Claire Denis work, her longtime themes of desire and survival are crystallized in a dead-eyed probe into understanding our most base impulses and the tension underplaying unsteady erotic connections.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Just using endorsement badges to facilitate user choice could be underplaying its value, however.
—London Business School, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
But a new analysis this week from the Associated Press concludes the report was based on old data that underplayed the extent of the military’s extremism problem.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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Standard accounting practices based on historical cost and depreciation schedules currently understate the actual replacement cost of legacy investments.—
Mark Le Dain,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The impact of City’s commercial growth can hardly be understated.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The need to continue developing faster and bigger networks may therefore be overplayed today.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Feb. 2025
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The uselessness of law enforcement can be overplayed in some lesser horror films to the point of losing tension.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, their skills were often downplayed by claims that they’d been signed to generate ticket sales and boost interest in the struggling league.—
Callie Maddox,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2025
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Trump and other top administration officials have downplayed the use of the Signal to discuss the attack, saying classified information was not shared in the chat, despite the exchange including information on the weapons systems being used and the timing of the strikes.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One of the underlying actuarial assumptions of Social Security when it was enacted, apparently, was that the government wouldn’t be paying a whole lot of money to a whole lot of retirees.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Illinois, California and Minnesota have enacted laws protecting the earnings of young creators, and Minnesota's law includes a similar provision to Utah's that allows content featuring minors to be taken down.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
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There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Travelers who act out drunk in public risk a fine up to €4,000 (around $4,300.64), the U.K. website states.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
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The show opens with the filming of a Continental movie, with Paul Dano acting out a deadly fight scene while director Peter Berg looks on.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the face of tragedy, Dess’s narrator memorably dramatizes the anxiety-inducing exigencies of the creative arts, and the need of artists to remain focussed on their craft.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
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The show dramatizes a series of rapes in Washington and Colorado from 2008 to 2011, focusing on a survivor named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) and the two detectives trying to solve the case, played brilliantly by Toni Collette and Merritt Wever.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Moving Racks for Better Yield: The strawberries transition seamlessly between warmth during the day and cooler temperatures at night, mimicking natural conditions and increasing annual production.—
Chrissy Tracey,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Designers are quick to spot—and avoid—materials that mimic luxury but fall flat.—
Lauren Jones,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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