Verb: downplay dawn'pley
- Represent as less significant or important
"The company downplayed the potential risks in their financial report";
- understate, minimize, minimise [Brit]
- Understate the importance or quality of
"he downplayed his royal ancestry";
- background, play down
Derived forms: downplayed, downplaying, downplays
Type of: accent, accentuate, emphasise [Brit], emphasize, inform, punctuate, stress
Encyclopedia: Downplay