downplaying
downplaying — verb
- downplaysthird-person singular
- downplayedpast tense
- downplayingpresent participle
- downplayings3rd person singular
- downplayinging-ing form
- downplayingedpast simple
1. to speak or act in a way that makes something appear less serious, harmful, or s
to speak or act in a way that makes something appear less serious, harmful, or significant than it actually is — for example, downplaying a financial loss, a health risk, or one's own role in an achievement.
Yara tried to downplay her mistake, but her supervisor noticed it right away.
downplay + noun phrase for making a problem seem smaller
The doctor warned Minh not to downplay his back pain, since early treatment matters.
Ava downplayed the company's money problems during the meeting, which worried her colleagues.
Gabriel downplayed his part in the project's success and praised the whole team instead.
- understate
focuses on describing something as smaller or less than it really is, often in numbers or facts
- play down
phrasal verb; slightly more informal, same meaning
- minimize
stronger tone; suggests actively trying to reduce the importance of something
- trivialize
negative connotation; suggests making something important seem unimportant
- overstate
to make something seem more important or serious than it really is
- exaggerate
to describe something as larger, better, or worse than it really is
文法句型
downplay + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used when someone intentionally tries to reduce the perceived seriousness of a problem or their own contribution. The object is usually a noun phrase describing a problem, risk, achievement, or emotion.