as in to downplay
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
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Recent Examples of soft-pedal
Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Goldberg Tuesday scoffed at the denials and efforts to soft-pedal the extent and potential danger of the breach.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
In 2024, Paul Weiss didn’t soft-pedal its liberal leanings.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Goldberg Tuesday scoffed at the denials and efforts to soft-pedal the extent and potential danger of the breach.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
Noun
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedal
Verb
-
And on Sunday, President Donald Trump downplayed the size of the outbreak and the need for action.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2025
-
At the time, Kennedy, who has a history of vaccine skepticism, appeared to downplay concerns about the significance of the outbreak.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But the mesh lining keeps them breathable too (because swampy feet can put a real damper on any kind of trek).—
Alexis Berger,
SELF,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Cadillac's marketing materials highlight both the luxury and sporty spirit of this crossover, and the shock dampers needed to live up to those somewhat divergent goals.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Ars Technica,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
South Korea’s acting President, Han Duck-soo, ordered emergency support measures for industries and businesses that will be impacted, including the automobile industry, ordering officials to actively negotiate with Washington to minimize the impact of additional levies.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Studies show that nitrates may minimize the thickening of blood vessels that may cause heart disease (atherosclerosis).—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2022
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her – sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Dec. 2022
Verb
-
Stocks temporarily jumped on speculation of a possibly delay in the tariffs, but the White House later dismissed talk of a pause.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Griffin launched a legal challenge and on April 4, a three-judge panel of the North Carolina court of appeals ruled 2-1 that the state's elections board erred in dismissing Griffin's protests about invalid election ballots.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt: A 33-year-old man from St. Charles was arrested on charges of loud excessive noise caused by a muffler or lack thereof, improper lighting and driving under the influence of alcohol at 11:11 p.m. Feb. 15 at Raymond Drive and West Diehl Road.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Located inside a Googie-style former muffler shop building at 4839 E. Colfax Ave.—
Jonathan Shikes,
The Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedal. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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