1
as in to understate
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Recent Examples of underplay
Just using endorsement badges to facilitate user choice could be underplaying its value, however.
—
London Business School, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
But a new analysis this week from the Associated Press concludes the report was based on old data that underplayed the extent of the military’s extremism problem.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
Borisov artfully underplays the progression: He’s taken aback by her feral resistance, amused by her spirit, then really sees her.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
The commission notes the abject shortcomings of anti-money-laundering measures but badly underplay the enduring capacities of wealthy trafficking organizations to defy counternarcotics efforts.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for underplay
London Business School, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
But a new analysis this week from the Associated Press concludes the report was based on old data that underplayed the extent of the military’s extremism problem.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
Borisov artfully underplays the progression: He’s taken aback by her feral resistance, amused by her spirit, then really sees her.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
The commission notes the abject shortcomings of anti-money-laundering measures but badly underplay the enduring capacities of wealthy trafficking organizations to defy counternarcotics efforts.
—Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for underplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underplay
Verb
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The impact of involuntary churn can’t be understated.—
Vijay Menon,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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The look was understated yet elegant—very befitting of an Oscar nominee.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Yet all this speaks to the risk the incoming Trump administration might overplay its hand on China.—
William Pesek,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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Sidenote: Some of us will overplay conversations, maybe because of our attachment to control and drama.—
Hylke Faber,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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That clearly has not happened, and lawsuits are pressing that idea further, leaving the White House desperately trying to downplay weeks of Musk’s spotlight-stealing efforts.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
19 Feb. 2025
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While city officials have downplayed characterizations by President Donald Trump and others that the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken over the city, Chamberlain did assert Wednesday that its members controlled several parts of the complex.—
Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton,
The Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Ivanhoe grant marked only the latest fallout in the Kansas City metro from the wave of spending cuts and reductions enacted since President Donald Trump took office.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
18 Feb. 2025
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Some states are already making moves President Biden’s administration largely blocked states from enacting work rules of their own and required 10 states to remove the requirement for Medicaid coverage.—
Amanda Seitz,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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There are few instances of someone overacting more in a movie, unnecessarily adding an undercurrent of murderous, jokey psychotic to an already bizarre creation.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
13 Dec. 2024
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The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Gracie using Benjamin Bratt to act out self-defense moves on national TV?—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2025
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Being a chameleon as a musician is one thing — Cyrus always had a great voice — but her ongoing identity crisis and need to act out came to define what was otherwise a productive and interesting time.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In our age of self-kneecapping carefulness, Wohl both takes risks and dramatizes the moral dilemma of taking them.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
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Few Indian movies have so gently zeroed in on the way mental health conditions are used as a pretext to strip people of their humanity, even though the camera rarely probes Sundar enough to rebuild his personhood from the inside-out, or dramatize whatever haunts his waking moments.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Cybercriminals have adopted machine learning and AI to revolutionize their tactics, employing tools that automate reconnaissance, craft hyper-realistic phishing emails and mimic trusted voices or identities.—
Jeremy Dodson,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Cows, sheep, and other livestock are allowed to roam freely in pastures that mimic natural environments.5 This is believed to be healthier for the animals and produce more nutrient-dense meat and milk.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, RDN, LD,
Health,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underplay. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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