Meaning
To make something seem less important, serious, or significant than it really is.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Phrasal verb
- Transitivity: Transitive (requires an object)
- Pattern: play down + noun/pronoun
- Often used when someone tries to minimize the importance of a problem, event, or achievement.
Examples of patterns:
- play down the problem
- play down his success
- play down the risks
Common Phrases
- play down the importance of
- play down the risks
- play down an incident
- play down one’s achievements
Collocations
- Verb + Noun: play down danger, play down importance, play down threat, play down mistake
- Adverb + Verb: deliberately play down, try to play down
Examples
- The government tried to play down the severity of the crisis.
- She modestly played down her role in the project’s success.
- He always plays down his achievements to avoid attention.
- The company attempted to play down the risks of investing.
- Journalists accused the official of playing down the scandal.
- The coach tried to play down expectations before the match.
- He laughed, trying to play down the mistake he had made.
Synonyms or Related
- make little of
- minimize
- downplay
- understate
- gloss over
- trivialize
Antonym
- exaggerate
- emphasize
- highlight
- play up