a significant downplay

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a significant downplay" is not correct in standard English usage.
"Downplay" typically means to minimize the importance or significance of something, so using "significant" with it creates a contradiction. Example: "The report attempted a significant downplay of the risks involved, which was misleading."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

He said he would be seeking to force Purdue to pay a "significant" sum for engaging in marketing practices that downplayed the addictiveness of its drugs, allowing it to earn billions of dollars while fuelling the opioid crisis.

Huffington Post

In response, the league has gone on the offense to protect its multibillion-dollar businesses -- working to discredit the researchers, downplay the findings and, for all intents and purposes, deny that a significant problem exists.

Huffington Post

In the discussion section, we highlight ecologically important results and downplay statistically significant, yet ecologically negligible results.

Plosone

If a contractor simply reacts to events that disclose potentially significant consequences or downplays noncompliances which did not result in significant consequences to worker safety and health, such contractor actions do not constitute the type of proactive behavior necessary to prevent significant events from occurring and thereby to improve worker safety and health.

Cornell University

Here, too, he exhibits a desire to downplay and sanitize.

The New Yorker

It is, rather, a way to downplay that identity.

Huffington Post

This is when you are with the police or assessing a downplay of what just happened.

WikiHow

A White House spokesman downplayed the significance of the NBC report.

Vice

"There will be an attempt to downplay the role economic populism played," Dr. Skocpol said.

The New York Times

In an attempt to downplay the cruelty Tarkovsky responded: "No, I don't agree.

Wikipedia

The Platonic way of knowledge therefore emphasized reasoning as a method, downplaying the importance of observation.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To accurately convey the act of minimizing importance, avoid using "significant" directly with "downplay". Instead, use alternatives like "substantial minimization" or rephrase the sentence to clarify the context.

Common error

Avoid pairing intensifiers like "significant" with verbs like "downplay" because they create a contradictory meaning. "Downplay", by definition, implies reducing importance, so using "significant" negates the verb's intent. Instead, try "considerable minimization" or restructure your sentence.

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a noun phrase, describing an action or instance of minimizing something. However, as pointed out by Ludwig, the combination of "significant" and "downplay" creates a grammatical issue because "downplay" suggests reducing importance, which contradicts "significant".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a significant downplay" presents a grammatical challenge due to the contradictory nature of combining "significant", which denotes importance, with "downplay", which implies minimizing importance. Ludwig AI highlights that the phrasing is not correct in standard English usage. To convey the intended meaning effectively, it is advisable to opt for alternative expressions such as "a major understatement", "a considerable minimization", or other semantically similar phrases. When constructing sentences, avoid pairing intensifiers directly with verbs of minimization to maintain grammatical clarity and avoid confusion. Consider the context and choose wording that accurately reflects the degree to which something is being minimized.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a major understatement

Replaces "downplay" with "understatement" and "significant" with "major" for emphasis.

a considerable minimization

Uses "minimization" to replace "downplay" and "considerable" instead of "significant".

a substantial trivialization

Replaces "downplay" with "trivialization" indicating an attempt to make something seem less important than it is and maintains a similar meaning.

a marked belittling

Uses "belittling" to show something being made to seem small or unimportant.

a noticeable underestimation

Uses "underestimation" indicating a misjudgment of the actual size or importance.

a gross playing down

Emphasizes the act of minimizing by using the phrasal verb "playing down".

a serious de-emphasis

Focuses on the reduction of emphasis rather than minimizing importance.

a considerable discounting

Implies that something is being disregarded or not given its due importance.

a sweeping disregard

Implies a complete neglect or inattention towards something.

a blatant overlooking

Focuses on the act of ignoring or missing something important.

FAQs

How can I rephrase a sentence that uses "a significant downplay" to be grammatically correct?

Instead of using "a significant downplay", opt for alternatives such as "a major understatement", "a considerable minimization", or "a substantial trivialization" to better convey the intended meaning.

What are some alternatives to "downplay" that don't create a contradictory meaning when paired with 'significant'?

Consider using words like "minimize", "understate", or "disregard" with "significant" to avoid grammatical issues. For example, you could say "a significant minimization" or "a significant understatement".

Is it ever correct to use "significant" to describe the act of downplaying something?

While "significant" can describe the degree or impact of an action, it's typically not paired directly with "downplay" due to the inherent contradiction. It's better to rephrase to clarify the magnitude of the minimization using alternatives like "major understatement" or similar.

Which is correct, "a significant downplay" or "a considerable minimization"?

"A considerable minimization" is grammatically more sound. "A significant downplay" is awkward because "downplay" implies reducing importance, which clashes with "significant", which indicates high importance. Consider alternatives such as "major understatement" for correctness.