as in to downplay
to reduce in apparent importance
she politely tries to soft-pedal her accomplishments when talking to less fortunate people
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Recent Examples of soft-pedal
Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Goldberg Tuesday scoffed at the denials and efforts to soft-pedal the extent and potential danger of the breach.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
In 2024, Paul Weiss didn’t soft-pedal its liberal leanings.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Goldberg Tuesday scoffed at the denials and efforts to soft-pedal the extent and potential danger of the breach.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.
—Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety Navarro doesn’t soft-pedal her disdain for recent remarks former President Donald Trump has made about immigrants eating dogs and cats — just one of the hot topics Phillip and a shifting ensemble of pundits, reporters and experts tackle each weeknight.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
But Morrow’s quiet intensity, which doesn’t soft-pedal Isaac’s arrogance and belligerence, has a haunting quality.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The flood of reports on Biden’s deterioration is another form of the same careerist impulse that led media outlets to soft-pedal his condition in the first place.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 July 2024
Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in this, ready for anything, never soft-pedaling her character’s flaws or panic or fear.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
Noun
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Authors aimed at the business market tend to soft pedal AI, speaking only about the benefits while downplaying or outright ignoring the dangers.
—David A. Teich, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
This is a two-part skill; his superb legato (or connected articulation) on the keyboard was heightened by skillful deployment of both the sustaining and the soft pedal.
—Marcus Overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, 8 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soft-pedal
Verb
-
Ongoing Challenges And Customer Expectations To its credit, SAP did not downplay the ongoing hurdles that its customers face.—
Robert Kramer,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
As recently widowed Irene Chao, Liu trades her signature strut for a self-effacing shuffle, using makeup not to accentuate her beauty but to downplay it.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Here, active anti-roll bars and GM’s Magnetic Ride Control shock dampers kept the Celestiq’s weight in check, as the chassis remained planted and stable despite me pushing to the edge of traction through hard corners and long sweepers alike.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
-
There’s a single foot pedal, which controls two damper bars.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
Here are recommendations for maintaining safety during a thunderstorm: To minimize risk of being struck by lightning, when going outside, have a plan to get to a safer place.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2025
-
While not always the case, most stairwells are located in the center of a building, away from windows and exterior walls, which can help minimize damage from weather events.—
Maddie Topliff,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 June 2025
Noun
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2022
-
After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her – sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.—
Mia Galuppo,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Dec. 2022
Verb
-
Congressional Republicans, many of whom had also grown annoyed with Musk over the last few months, have largely dismissed the billionaire’s fiery opposition to the bill.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
-
Despite seeking help from her local GP, her concerns were initially dismissed.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
To do this, a small team at the automaker’s Weissach development center outfitted the Martini silver vehicle with rudimentary exhaust mufflers, additional mirrors, side indicators, a horn, and even a spare wheel hidden away beneath the rear clamshell.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The underside of your vehicle is hot and can easily ignite grasses from your exhaust muffler.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soft-pedal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soft-pedal. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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