Underemphasizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To diminish the perceived significance of a subject, suggesting it is not as critical or weighty as it truly deserves to be
2. To present something as less important or less serious than it truly is
3. To treat a topic or issue as if it holds lower importance than it actually does

Etymology: The core of this word is Greek. "Emphasis" came into English from Greek "emphasis," meaning "display" or "indication," from "emphainein," "to show in." That verb combines "en-," "in," with "phainein," "to show," which also lies behind "phenomenon" and "phantasm." So "emphasize" originally meant something closer to showing a thing clearly than to stressing it. "Under-" is an Old English prefix meaning "below" or "insufficiently," and it attaches freely to verbs. "Underemphasize" therefore means to show something at less than its proper level of prominence. It is a transparent formation from existing parts, most likely coined in English long after the prefix and "emphasize" were established, so it has no separate history of its own to trace.

Synonyms: downplays, minimizes, diminishes, trivializes, belittles

Antonyms: emphasizes, highlights, stresses, accentuates, underscores