What does "downplay" mean?

To de-emphasize; to present or portray as less important or consequential.

What is a synonym for "downplay"?

Common synonyms include: minimize, understate, abate, allay, alleviate, assuage.

verb

verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Verb

1
To de-emphasize; to present or portray as less important or consequential. transitive
"He would sometimes downplay his Princeton education by saying simply that he went to school in New Jersey."
2
understate the importance or quality of wordnet
3
represent as less significant or important wordnet

"Not to downplay the situation, but could he be joking?"

Synthetic form of the phrase play down. By surface analysis, down- + play.