Need another word that means the same as “downplay”? Find 27 synonyms and 30 related words for “downplay” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Downplay” are: background, play down, minimise, minimize, understate, disparage, denigrate, belittle, diminish, deprecate, detract from, deflate, decry, discredit, cast aspersions on, downgrade, slight, run down, criticize, defame, vilify, abuse, insult, attack, speak ill of, speak evil of, pour scorn on
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “downplay” as a verb can have the following definitions:
abuse | Use foul or abusive language towards. Don t abuse the system. |
attack | Attack someone physically or emotionally. Crystal Palace attacked swiftly down the left. |
background | Form a background to. Windswept land backgrounded by the Rockies. |
belittle | Cause to seem less serious; play down. Don t belittle his influence. |
cast aspersions on | Deposit. |
criticize | Find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws. A literary text may be criticized on two grounds the semantic and the expressive. |
decry | Publicly denounce. They decried human rights abuses. |
defame | Charge falsely or with malicious intent. He claimed that the article defamed his family. |
deflate | Become deflated or flaccid as by losing air. He deflated one of the tyres. |
denigrate | Charge falsely or with malicious intent. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country. |
deprecate | Express strong disapproval of; deplore. What I deprecate is persistent indulgence. |
detract from | Take away a part from; diminish. |
diminish | Cause to seem less impressive or valuable. The trial has aged and diminished him. |
discredit | Harm the good reputation of. This newspaper story discredits the politicians. |
disparage | Regard or represent as being of little worth. He never missed an opportunity to disparage his competitors. |
downgrade | Reduce to a lower grade, rank, or level of importance. Some jobs had gradually been downgraded from skilled to semi skilled. |
insult | Speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse. You re insulting the woman I love. |
minimise | Cause to seem less serious; play down. |
minimize | Reduce (something, especially something undesirable) to the smallest possible amount or degree. The aim is to minimize costs. |
play down | Participate in games or sport. |
pour scorn on | Rain heavily. |
run down | Be affected by; be subjected to. |
slight | Raze or destroy (a fortification. A Council determined whether the Fort should be kept or slighted. |
speak evil of | Use language. |
speak ill of | Give a speech to. |
understate | Describe or represent (something) as being smaller or less good or important than it really is. The press have understated the extent of the problem. |
vilify | Speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner. He has been vilified in the press. |
compress | Be squeezed or pressed together or into a smaller space. She compressed her lips. |
condone | Accept (behaviour that is considered morally wrong or offensive. The college cannot condone any behaviour that involves illicit drugs. |
connive | Encourage or assent to illegally or criminally. She connived with a senior official to rig the results of last year s election. |
contraction | The process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together. Goodbye is a contraction of God be with you. |
crass | Showing no intelligence or sensitivity. An act of crass stupidity. |
decrease | Decrease in size extent or range. The rate of decrease became greater. |
disparagingly | In a disparaging manner. These mythological figures are described disparagingly as belonging only to a story. |
disregard | The action or state of paying no attention to something. The body of evidence is too substantial to disregard. |
downgrade | An instance of reducing someone or something’s rank, status, or level of importance. Some jobs had gradually been downgraded from skilled to semi skilled. |
education | The United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with education including federal aid to educational institutions and students created 1979. Petrus is a good workman it is an education to watch him. |
flatten | Humiliate or depress (someone. Flatten a road. |
ignore | Fail to consider (something significant. He ignored her outraged question. |
intelligence | Information in general; news. British intelligence has secured numerous local informers. |
irrelevant | Not connected with or relevant to something. Theory can sometimes be hastily dismissed as irrelevant to the classroom. |
lighthearted | Carefree and happy and lighthearted. Her lighthearted nature. |
minimize | Represent as less significant or important. Let s minimize the risk. |
neglect | The trait of neglecting responsibilities and lacking concern. He neglected to write to her. |
obscurity | The state of being indistinct or indefinite for lack of adequate illumination. He is too good a player to slide into obscurity. |
omit | Leave undone or leave out. He was omitted from the second Test. |
overlook | Be oriented in a certain direction. The apartment overlooks the Hudson. |
rebuff | Reject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner. I asked her to be my wife and was rebuffed in no uncertain terms. |
reduce | Reduce in scope while retaining essential elements. The need for businesses to reduce costs. |
reducible | (of a subject or problem) capable of being simplified in presentation or analysis. Shakespeare s major soliloquies are not reducible to categories. |
reduction | A thick and concentrated liquid or sauce made by boiling. The reduction of classical genetics to molecular biology. |
scoff | Speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way. You a scientist he scoffed. |
snub | Reject outright and bluntly. She snubbed his proposal. |
understate | Represent as less significant or important. The press have understated the extent of the problem. |
understatement | A statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said. To say I am delighted is an understatement. |
undervalue | Rate (something) insufficiently highly; fail to appreciate. Through overfamiliarity it is easy to undervalue this concerto. |
vanish | Pass away rapidly. The effect vanished when day broke. |
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