de-emphasize

American  

[dee-em-fuh-sahyz] / diˈɛm fəˌsaɪz /

especially British, de-emphasise

verb (used with object)

de-emphasized, de-emphasizing

1. to place less emphasis upon; reduce in importance, size, scope, etc..

   The university de-emphasized intercollegiate football.

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de-emphasize British  

/ diːˈɛmfəˌsaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to remove emphasis from

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Etymology

Origin of de-emphasize

First recorded in 1935–40; de- + emphasize

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

de-emphasize de-emphasized de-emphasizing

Her refusal to de-emphasize her Tennessee accent or downplay her assets endeared her to a wide audience, along with her unsinkable pride in her country roots.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

Success will likely require heavy investment in the core brands, along with tough choices to divest or de-emphasize others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

Lockheed stock was flat over that span, with investors worried that militaries would de-emphasize their manned fighter jets in favor of lower-cost autonomous systems.

From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026

McLennan explained that the fund will, at times, de-emphasize gold and load up more on stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 27, 2026

Some intellectual revolution must come which will de-emphasize business and industry and re-emphasize most other ways of self-expression.

From An American Idyll The Life of Carleton H. Parker by Cornelia Stratton Parker

Leagues were de-emphasized in favor of open bowling, parties and corporate events.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

For years, schools taught reading using approaches that de-emphasized phonics and encouraged strategies such as guessing words based on context clues.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

“Deliveries—and fundamentals broadly—have been de-emphasized in our recent conversations with investors,” wrote Kallo.

From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026

Vera Bradley, the maker of quilted bags and accessories, is changing strategy again following a rebrand that de-emphasized its signature florals and patterns—and left some of its loyal consumers fuming.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

In almost all cases, the tests measure strictly math and reading skills, so even science and history have been de-emphasized.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

European defense stocks have weakened of late, partly in response to suggestions of a more lasting cease-fire, but Morgan Stanley recommended caution about de-emphasizing defense plays.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

It’s been bigger than FedEx and UPS since 2023, with UPS and FedEx de-emphasizing business-to-consumer volumes in favor of higher margin business-to-business shipments.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

Boeing long built aircraft with pilots at the center of their design philosophy, de-emphasizing automation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

It is “very concerning that we’re de-emphasizing covid, which we may live to regret,” Poland said.

From Salon ● May 6, 2025

More broadly, scientific research does exist that supports the value of teaching the arts and humanities—and the perils of de-emphasizing them.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove