1. to make something seem less serious, important, or difficult than it actually is
The manager tried to downplay the difficulties the team was facing.
O gerente tentou minimizar as dificuldades que a equipe estava enfrentando.
2. to intentionally reduce the significance or severity of problems or obstacles
She downplayed the difficulties of the project to attract investors.
Ela minimizou as dificuldades do projeto para atrair investidores.