downplay

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

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downplay (third-person singular simple present downplays, present participle downplaying, simple past and past participle downplayed)

1. (transitive) To de-emphasize; to present or portray as less important or consequential.

   Synonyms: play down, trivialize, understate; see also Thesaurus:trivialize

   • 1984, Marc Sigoloff, The Films of the Seventies, A Filmography of American, British and Canadian Films 1970–1979, page 158:

     The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is no ordinary thriller. John Cassavetes, as usual, downplays the plot, opting for character and endless improvisation, but it does not entirely work in this setting.

   • 2023 April 17, Will Sommer, “‘Stop the Steal’ Organizer Apologizes After Being Accused of Asking Teen Boys for D*ck Pics”, in The Daily Beast‎^[1], archived from the original on 20 April 2023:

     [Milo] Yiannopoulos, whose own career as a far-right pundit imploded in 2017 after remarks he had made downplaying the seriousness of pedophilia surfaced, claims he has more damaging videos to release about [Ali] Alexander and [Nick] Fuentes.

• The synonymous alternative form play down is slightly more formal, or slightly less informal.

• play down, playdown