Underemphasize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To diminish the attention or significance attributed to something in comparison to its actual importance
2. To neglect to highlight the importance of a subject or idea, resulting in a perceived lack of significance
3. To portray or treat something as less important than it truly is

Etymology: "Underemphasize" is formed from the prefix "under-" and the verb "emphasize," and its meaning follows directly from those parts: "under-" carries the sense of "too little" or "below what is needed," so to underemphasize something is to give it less stress, attention or prominence than it deserves. "Emphasize" itself comes from the Greek "emphasis," meaning a visible show or outward expression, which in turn came from a verb meaning to show forth or make appear. English adopted the noun first and later built the verb "emphasize" from it, so the verb sense of putting weight on something is the more recent development. Attaching "under-" to "emphasize" is a productive pattern in English, where the prefix can be added to many verbs to mean insufficiently doing the action. "Underemphasize" therefore describes a deliberate or accidental shortfall in stress rather than a separate, independently rooted word.

Synonyms: downplay, minimize, undervalue

Antonyms: emphasize, highlight, underscore