downplay

American  

[doun-pley] / ˈdaʊnˌpleɪ /

verb (used with object)

• downplays,
  present (3rd person singular)
• downplayed,
  past participle,  past
• downplaying
  present participle

1. to treat or speak of (something) so as to reduce emphasis on its importance, value, strength, etc..

   The press has downplayed the president's role in the negotiations.

---

downplay British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌpleɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to play down; make little of

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• downplaying
  present
• downplayed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• downplay
  simple
• downplays
  simple
• have downplayed
  perfect
• has downplayed
  perfect
• am downplaying
  progressive
• are downplaying
  progressive
• is downplaying
  progressive
• have been downplaying
  perfect progressive
• has been downplaying
  perfect progressive

Past

• downplayed
  simple
• had downplayed
  perfect
• was downplaying
  progressive
• were downplaying
  progressive
• had been downplaying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will downplay
  simple
• will have downplayed
  perfect
• will be downplaying
  progressive
• will have been downplaying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of downplay

1950–55; down ¹ + play, from verb phrase play down

Explanation

To downplay something is to act as if it's not very important. If you're trying to convince your friends to play poker with you, you might downplay the fact that you're an experienced and competitive player. Politicians who depend on contributions from oil and gas companies tend to downplay the environmental effects of their products, and a boy who wants a trampoline for his birthday might downplay the possible dangers when he talks to his parents about it. Downplay is a relatively recent addition to the English language, dating from the late 1960s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downplay downplays downplayed downplaying

But Knox told BBC Scotland News she does not downplay the seriousness of the case and is respectful in her approach.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The post sought to downplay the gravity of the situation and opined that investors are likely to give Aschenbrenner the benefit of the doubt.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

But Roberts has continually tried to downplay the political messaging associated with the visit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

On Tuesday’s edition of “The Five,” co-host Jesse Watters tried to downplay the boos.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

To downplay accusations of being an outside agitator, she ran her operation out of her hotel room, offering direction to state and local suffragists.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Advertising that promises dramatic results or downplays the need for diet and exercise could be deemed misleading, officials said, stressing that such medicines should only be used under medical supervision.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

And Attia largely downplays the risks of overtesting, which can lead to both false positives and the detection of markers that will never develop into life-threatening disease.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026

The White House downplays the assessment, calling it ‘flat-out wrong.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025

The headline on Worthmore’s piece downplays some of the questions raised.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

Modern life downplays the importance of the relationships, commitments and experiences shared among neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

While FDA staffers downplayed this benefit, one oncologist at the advisory committee hearing pointedly noted that most physicians consider a 30% response rate in metastatic patients whose cancer worsened on other treatments to be significant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Infantino downplayed several of the tournament's high-profile controversies and hailed the involvement of Iran, who featured at the World Cup despite their ongoing conflict with co-hosts the United States, as a success.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

It was the first evidence of a U.S. attack near Mexico, although Sheinbaum and other officials downplayed its significance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Warsh downplayed the usefulness of the Fed’s public forecasts, declined to submit one himself, and argued that markets perform best when reacting to economic data rather than interpreting Fed signals.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

I didn’t want to dash her hopes by telling her all I’d witnessed on the team, so I downplayed my teammates’ behavior.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Gardner makes his job look easy, but he says his understudies accused him of downplaying just how challenging it can be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

However, he warned that the telecommunications industry is still downplaying the risk from satellite competitors, which in his view is a mistake.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

“I think people are downplaying the significance of Nimbyism in this country right now,” Purohit said, adding that companies looking to sell this summer will be scrutinized for how they plan to handle it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

French infectious disease specialist Nathan Peiffer-Smadja said that "managing an outbreak is not about reassuring people and downplaying the situation... nor is it about predicting the next Covid".

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

There was no doubt she was suffering, yet she remained upbeat, downplaying everything with a shrug and saying, “Any caring mother would do all that and more for her children.”

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• lessen
• play down
• soften