underplay
Americanverb (used with object)
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to act (a part) sketchily.
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to act subtly and restrainedly.
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to understate or de-emphasize; downplay.
The ambassador underplayed his role in the peace negotiations.
verb (used without object)
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to leave out of one's acting all subtlety and enriching detail.
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to achieve an effect in acting with a minimum of emphasis.
verb
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to play (a role) with restraint or subtlety
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to achieve (an effect) by deliberate lack of emphasis
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(intr) cards to lead or follow suit with a lower card when holding a higher one
Etymology
Origin of underplay
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We think current market pricing underplays the potential for demand destruction resulting from a squeeze in consumer purchasing power from higher energy prices,” Raedler and his team said in a note published Friday.
From Barron's
He told people that Altman underplayed his role and was annoyed that Brockman went on a podcast to discuss things such as the company’s charter despite having contributed less to it than Amodei did.
Others say such comments underplay the consequences of the oil blockade.
From Los Angeles Times
"Three years ago, everything we were making was white metal, people liked that low key, less bright yellow look. I think customers thought it was underplaying it."
From BBC
By endeavoring to tell the entire history of art, as far as their collections allow, they sometimes underplay a concentration within their holdings that makes them distinctive.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
