Superficialize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make something seem less complex than it is by focusing only on surface details
2. To treat an issue in a manner that ignores deeper aspects or implications
3. To reduce the importance of a matter by emphasizing trivial or shallow elements

Etymology: Superficialize is a plain formation: the adjective "superficial", from Latin "superficialis" (lying on the surface, from "superficies"), with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" added to it. The suffix comes from Greek "-izein", and English has used it since the Middle Ages to turn adjectives and nouns into verbs meaning "make into" or "treat as". So the verb means, roughly, to make something superficial, or to handle it only at the surface. That literal sense is the one the word keeps. To superficialize a problem is to reduce it to its outward appearance, skipping the depth that would actually resolve it. The sense is close to the adjective's own, so there is no dramatic shift in meaning here, only a change of part of speech.

Synonyms: simplify, trivialize, downplay, reduce, minimize

Antonyms: deepen, intensify, profound, elaborate, enhance