Play me!
Hi! Welcome to English Digital Academy!
For all you curious word wizards out there looking to expand your advanced English vocabulary, this episode of Grow your Vocab is for you!
Each time, we’ll explore a new word. I’ll give you a clear definition and a few examples so that you can see how it can be used. And if you want to practise using it yourself, why not drop your own sentence in the comments below, here on our blog?
Let’s get started with today’s word, which is the verb “to downplay.”
Imagine you’ve just won an Oscar, or a Grammy if that’s more your thing, but instead of showing it off or bragging to your friends about it, you shrug it off and say, “Oh, it’s no big deal”, you are downplaying your big win, you are making something seem less important, serious, or impressive than it really is.
The verb “to downplay” is perfect for those moments when people minimise things—whether it’s to stay humble, avoid drama, or steer attention elsewhere. But no need to downplay how fantastic learning new words can be! Let’s have a look-see at some examples to see it in action:
1. Downplaying Achievements
🗣️“I’m not sure why Louisa always downplays her successes, I mean, she came in first place in the marathon, but she kept telling everyone she’d done it just for fun. Maybe she didn’t want to seem like she was bragging,”
➡️ Sometimes we downplay our success to stay modest.
2. Downplaying Trouble
🗣️ “After the heavy rain, she downplayed the damage to her house, saying it was ‘just a bit of water,’ even though the ceiling had collapsed.”
➡️ Here, it’s used to minimise a serious issue, sometimes to avoid alarming others.
3. Downplaying Feelings
🗣️ “He said he wasn’t upset about the breakup, but we all knew he was just downplaying how much it hurt.”
➡️ A classic example of hiding emotions by making them seem smaller.
4. Downplaying Risks
🗣️ “The ad downplayed the side effects of the medicine, focusing instead on how it could improve your energy.”
➡️ In this example, we are making problems seem less significant than they are
5. Downplaying Excitement
🗣️ “She tried to downplay her excitement about the surprise party, but her grin gave her away.”
➡️ It’s not always easy to hide just how thrilled you are!)
Activate!
Now it’s your turn! How would you use the word ‘downplay’?
- Can you think of a situation where someone might downplay something?
- What is the difference between being modest and downplaying an achievement?
- Can you think of a situation not provided here where someone might downplay something?
Write it down and share with us in the comments!
Don’t forget to download the lesson notes!
The lesson notes are a free resource to help you learn. The notes include a summary of this lesson and a glossary of key words from this week’s post.
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