downplay
verb
down·play
| \ ˈdau̇n-ˌplā
\
\
downplayed;
downplaying;
downplays
Definition of downplay
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Examples of downplay in a Sentence
Athletes often downplay their injuries.
he self-deprecatingly downplays his own contributions to the festival's success
Recent Examples on the Web
The lawsuits say that drugmakers played up the benefits of prescription painkillers while downplaying the addictive risks, and did not properly flag suspiciously large pill orders. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Cleveland federal judge won’t dismiss claims that say drug makers fueled opioid epidemic," 3 Sep. 2019 While its painkillers represent a very small piece of the opioid market, the lawsuits accuse it of playing a central role in creating demand for the drugs by downplaying OxyContin's addiction risks and pushing doctors hard to prescribe it. — Andrew Welsh-huggins, Anchorage Daily News, "OxyContin maker negotiating settlement worth a reported $12 billion," 28 Aug. 2019 While its painkillers represent a very small piece of the opioid market, the lawsuits accuse it of playing a central role in creating demand for the drugs by downplaying OxyContin's addiction risks and pushing doctors hard to prescribe it. — Andrew Welsh-huggins, chicagotribune.com, "OxyContin maker negotiating settlement worth up to $12 billion; would require Purdue Pharma bankruptcy, restructuring," 28 Aug. 2019 Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter claimed in court that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its pharmaceutical subsidiary, Janssen, marketed opioids to doctors while downplaying the risks of the addictive painkillers since the 1990s. — NBC News, "Johnson & Johnson must pay over $572 million for its role in Oklahoma opioid crisis, judge rules," 26 Aug. 2019 The most notable, Purdue Pharma, the Sackler-family owned maker of OxyContin, has been found guilty of downplaying the risks and overplaying the effectiveness of opioids, contributing to an epidemic of overprescription and diversion. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, "The marketing practices that worsened America’s opioid epidemic are making their way overseas," 24 Aug. 2019 The state claims the companies helped create a public nuisance by aggressively marketing painkillers and downplaying the risk of addiction. — USA TODAY, "‘Stranger’ tourists, Phish and the plague, kinkajou attack: News from around our 50 states," 22 Aug. 2019 The manufacturer of OxyContin, Purdue is accused by several states and local governments of fraudulently downplaying the risks of addiction associated with the drug, even as opioids fueled a public health crisis. — Andrew Oxford, azcentral, "Arizona attorney general wants U.S. Supreme Court's help to take money from family behind opioid drugmaker," 31 July 2019 In their lawsuits, the governments contend the brand-name manufacturers fraudulently downplayed the addiction risks of the powerful painkillers while encouraging doctors to prescribe their patients more drugs and at higher doses. — Geoff Mulvihill, The Denver Post, "Big question in opioid suits: How to divide any settlement," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'downplay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for downplay
downplay
verb
English Language Learners Definition of downplay
: to make (something) seem smaller or less important
See the full definition for downplay in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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