underplay

[ uhn-der-pley, uhn-der-pley ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈpleɪ, ˈʌn dərˌpleɪ /

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verb (used with object)

to act (a part) sketchily.

to act subtly and restrainedly.

to understate or de-emphasize; downplay: The ambassador underplayed his role in the peace negotiations.

verb (used without object)

to leave out of one's acting all subtlety and enriching detail.

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

Words nearby underplay

underpin, underpinning, underpinnings, underpitch vault, underplant, underplay, underplot, underpopulated, underpowered, underpraise, underprice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use underplay in a sentence

The manufacturers’ websites underplayed the benefits of breastfeeding and overstated its challenges.
Breastfeeding Is Tough: New Research Shows How To Make It More Manageable|LGBTQ-Editor|October 19, 2021|No Straight News
There were other considerations, and I don’t want to underplay the logistical challenges posed by the pandemic.
Philip Guston’s art speaks to our present moment. We shouldn’t have to wait to see it.|Sebastian Smee|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
One of Smith's biggest internal challenges is a perception that he long underplayed the severity of the investigation — presenting it as a relatively minor accounting problem.
Billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith's tax fraud roils Vista Equity|Dan Primack|October 16, 2020|Axios
I won’t underplay the depth and complexity of California’s challenges.
In defense of California|James Temple|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review

These statements mark a shift for public bodies that, for decades, have underplayed health research on social issues.
Racism used to be considered a US public health issue until Nixon interfered|Olivia Goldhill|August 1, 2020|Quartz
What she did need to worry about was trying to underplay her book in view of the attention it drew.
Thank You, Elizabeth Wurtzel: ‘Prozac Nation’ Turns 20|Nicolaus Mills|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To say that this is an unusual moment would be to underplay how unique it really is.
Charlie Wilson's CIA Adventures|George Crile|February 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Unknown forces are all the time engaged in a mystic underplay which is the real action of the piece.
August Strindberg, the Spirit of Revolt|L. (Lizzy) Lind-af-Hageby
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

/ (ˌʌndəˈpleɪ) /

verb

to play (a role) with restraint or subtlety

to achieve (an effect) by deliberate lack of emphasis

(intr) cards to lead or follow suit with a lower card when holding a higher one

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

underplay

Origin of underplay

Words nearby underplay

Words related to underplay

How to use underplay in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for underplay