soft-pedal

verb
UK: /ˌsɒft ˈped.əl/
US: /ˌsɑːft ˈped.əl/

  1. To try to make something seem less important or serious.

    1. They soft-pedal the bad news.
    2. The government is trying to soft-pedal the significance of the economic slowdown to avoid panic.

Synonyms

downplay understate minimize
soft-pedal noun

  1. A way of dealing with something carefully to avoid causing offense or problems.

    1. She used a soft-pedal approach.
    2. The company adopted a soft-pedal strategy in its negotiations with the union to maintain a good relationship.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "soft-pedal" is /ˌsɒft ˈped.əl/ in British English and /ˌsɑːft ˈped.əl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "soft-pedal": downplay, understate, minimize.

Example usage of "soft-pedal": "They soft-pedal the bad news.". More examples on the page.