Makes something seem less important or serious than it really is (third person singular present tense).
From 'downplay' plus '-s' ending for third person singular present tense. The base verb 'downplay' developed in 20th-century English.
Notice that 'play' verbs are super productive in English: we have play down, play up, play out, play along—each with a different meaning created by combining with prepositions or particles.
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