downplay meaning
downplay :
to minimize, to make light of
Verb
▪ She downplayed her role in the project.
▪ She made her role in the project seem less important.
▪ He downplayed the problem to avoid panic.
▪ He made the problem seem smaller to avoid panic.
paraphrasing
▪ minimize – to make smaller
▪ understate – to say less than what is true
▪ belittle – to make seem less important
▪ diminish – to reduce in importance
Pronunciation
downplay [ˈdaʊnˌpleɪ]
The stress is on 'down' and sounds like 'down-play'.
Common phrases and grammar about downplay
downplay - Common meaning
Verb
to minimize, to make light of
Part of Speech Changes for "downplay"
▪ downplayed (adjective) – made to seem less important
Common Expressions with "downplay"
▪ downplay the issue – to make the issue seem smaller
▪ downplay the risks – to make the risks seem less serious
▪ downplay the impact – to make the impact seem less significant
▪ downplay the situation – to make the situation seem less critical
Important examples of downplay in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, downplay is often used to describe minimizing the importance of issues or problems.
Example of a confusing word: upgrade (to improve)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Downplay is used as a verb, often in contexts where someone is reducing the perceived importance of something.
downplay
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
downplay the significance
'make the importance seem less', used in contexts where importance is reduced.
play down
means 'to make something seem less important', used similarly to downplay.
Differences between similar words and downplay
downplay
,
minimize
differences
Downplay is used to make something seem less important, while minimize is often used to reduce size or amount.
Words with the same origin as downplay
The origin of downplay
The word's etymology is not clear.
Word structure
The analysis of the word's composition is unclear.
Words with the same origin
The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.
Please select an image in the quiz
Previous post and next post
