underplay

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

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.

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.

underplay

/ ˌʌndəˈpleɪ /

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of underplay¹

First recorded in 1725–35; under- + play

Example Sentences

Optus' emails also underplayed the severity of the 18 September outage, which has been linked to four deaths, including that of an eight-week old baby, as people could not reach emergency services.

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It should all be thrown away, underplayed, said on the run.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

No proper analysis can just ignore the reality of how underplayed the Wallabies were in the first Test.

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Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young is among those openly criticising the federal government, accusing them of underplaying the situation.

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Knapp, who lost her home and plans to rebuild, did not underplay the years of recovery ahead, but as we spoke, she dropped a few cubes of sugar into that bitter cup of coffee.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• curtail 
• decrease 
• diminish 
• downplay 
• lessen 
• play down 
• reduce 
• trivialize 
• underestimate