underplay
verb
un·der·play
| \ ˌən-dər-ˈplā
\
\
underplayed;
underplaying;
underplays
Definition of underplay
: to play a role with subdued force
1
: to act or present (a role, a scene, etc.) with restraint : play down
2
: to play a card lower than (a held high card)
Examples of underplay in a Sentence
Don't underplay the importance of exercise.
I thought she underplayed her character.
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite the accompanying blast of headlines, the implications of such extreme heat are often overlooked or underplayed. — The Economist, "Heatwaves are killing people," 27 July 2019 Crudup underplays well in what’s mostly a thankless role, while Quinn — who also sings the song heard over the end credits — shines in conveying Grace’s own stricken journey. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore face off in the melodramatic ‘After the Wedding’," 8 Aug. 2019 Trusted veteran reporters remain skeptical and conservative, while Lakers fans online are convinced that the media is overstating the cap constraints and underplaying the Kawhi possibilities. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "The Lakers and a Free Agency Moment of Truth," 27 June 2019 Some candidates have underplayed climate change thus far, though that is starting to change. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Democrats Are Winning the Battle of Ideas, But Could Still Lose the War," 10 June 2019 Rather than lean on the Donald Trump angle, since the president once took out ads in New York newspapers calling for the boys’ deaths, DuVernay wisely underplays the connection with an ironic aside. — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Scenes from 2019: Seven TV moments to relish," 18 July 2019 The attorney representing most of the players, Tom Mars, made a very public and compelling case with troves of text messages showing Ole Miss officials and head coach Hugh Freeze had underplayed the threat of sanctions. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Time for NCAA to give football, basketball players one-time pass to transfer," 26 June 2019 The magnitude of the occasion cannot be underplayed. — Nick Friend, CNN, "'The biggest game in world sport': India-Pakistan rivalry offers a chance to show rare unity," 13 June 2019 But the aggregate numbers make the decrease in access to the real estate market seem gradual, albeit troubling, and underplay the spikiness of the country. — Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, "Why Housing Policy Feels Like Generational Warfare," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'underplay.' 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 underplay
underplay
verb
English Language Learners Definition of underplay
: to make (something) seem less important than it actually is : to give too little attention to (something)
disapproving
: to show too little emotion when acting in a play, movie, etc.
See the full definition for underplay in the English Language Learners Dictionary