Play down - English meaning

phrase

Understate the importance or quality of

phrasal verb

Represent something as being less important than it in fact is.

Usage examples:

He tried to play down the seriousness of his illness

phrasal verb

To make something seem less important than or not as bad as it really is

Usage examples:

The doctor tried to play down the seriousness of my father’s illness, but we weren’t fooled.

phrasal verb

To say that something is not important, especially because you do not want it to be known publicly

Usage examples:

Insiders are playing the matter down, stressing the investigation is industry-wide and not specific…