| Main Entry: | play down |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pretend as if something were unimportant |
Synonyms: |
belittle, deemphasize, gloss over, hold back*, make light of, make little of, minimize, mute, restrain, soft-pedal, soften, underplay, underrate |
Antonyms: |
blow up, build up, explode, play up |
| Main Entry: | downplay |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | minimize |
Synonyms: |
attach little importance to, deemphasize, devalue, give little weight to, lessen, make light of, play down, soften, think nothing of, whitewash |
| Main Entry: | humiliate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | embarrass, put down |
Synonyms: |
abase, abash, base, bemean, blister, break, bring down, bring low, cast down, chagrin, chasten, confound, confuse, conquer, crush*, cut down to size, debase, degrade, demean, denigrate, deny, depress, discomfit, discountenance, disgrace, dishonor, downplay, humble, lower, make a fool of, make ashamed, mortify, pan, play down, put out of countenance, put to shame, rip*, run down, shame, shoot down, slam*, smear, snub, squash, subdue, take down a peg, take down, tear down, vanquish, wither |
Antonyms: |
build up, elevate, laud, praise |
| Main Entry: | minimize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make smaller; underrate |
Synonyms: |
abbreviate, attenuate, belittle, cheapen, curtail, cut down to size, cut rate, decrease, decry, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, detract, diminish, discount, disparage, downplay*, dwarf*, knock down, knock*, lessen, make light of, make little of, miniaturize, pan, play down, pooh-pooh, poor-mouth, prune, put down, reduce, run down, shrink, underestimate, underplay |
| Notes: | reduce means to cut down on; minimize means to make small or insignificant or represent as less important |
Antonyms: |
enlarge, maximize, overestimate, overrate |
| Main Entry: | moderate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | restrain, control |
Synonyms: |
abate, allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, calm, chasten, check, constrain, cool out, cool*, curb, decline, decrease, die down, diminish, ease off, fall, lessen, let up, meet halfway, mitigate, modify, modulate, mollify, pacify, play down, qualify, quiet, reduce, regulate, relent, relieve, repress, slacken, slow, soft-pedal, soften, subdue, subside, tame, temper, tone down, wane |
Antonyms: |
egg on, free, incite, let go, liberate, unleash |
| Main Entry: | pooh-pooh |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dismiss |
Synonyms: |
belittle, brush aside, discount, disregard, make light of, play down, rebuff, reject, repudiate, scoff at, sneer at, treat with contempt, wave aside |
| Main Entry: | tone down |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | moderate |
Synonyms: |
chill out, cloud, dampen, darken, deepen, dim, mitigate, modulate, play down, reduce, restrain, shade, sober, soft-pedal, soften, subdue, temper |
Antonyms: |
aggravate, increase, raise |
| Main Entry: | de-emphasize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | place less emphasis |
Synonyms: |
minimize, play down, understate |
Antonyms: |
emphasize |