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underplay

[uhn-der-pley, uhn-der-pley]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to act (a part) sketchily.
  2. to act subtly and restrainedly.
  3. to understate or de-emphasize; downplay: The ambassador underplayed his role in the peace negotiations.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to leave out of one's acting all subtlety and enriching detail.
  2. to achieve an effect in acting with a minimum of emphasis.
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Origin of underplay

First recorded in 1725–35; under- + play
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

lessen, reduce, decrease, underestimate, diminish, downplay, curtail, mute, minimize, soft-pedal, soften, belittle, underplay, deemphasize, derogate, dwarf, deprecate, prune, knock, attenuate

Examples from the Web for underplay

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Especially with a purple speech like that; you've simply got to learn to underplay.

    My Fair Planet

    Evelyn E. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for underplay

underplay

verb
  1. to play (a role) with restraint or subtlety
  2. to achieve (an effect) by deliberate lack of emphasis
  3. (intr) cards to lead or follow suit with a lower card when holding a higher one
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012