What is a word for making something seem not as bad as it actually is?

Question

Some examples:

Instead of admitting that I'm an alcoholic, I just say I had one too many drinks.
Instead of the bank admitting that it has lots of loans that are in arrears and are likely to default, it only says that it has underperforming loans.
Instead of admitting that they overeat, they simply claim that they have a strong appetite.

Basically, I'm after a word for when a phrase is used that is not really a lie, but doesn't give the whole truth to make it sound more positive than it actually is. Usually when something should be dealt with, but it's kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase.

Can you write an example sentence where the word or phrase would be used? The following is the strict rule of this community. Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests. Please edit your question accordingly. — , Jul 14 '16 at 15:27
Possible duplicate: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/229892/is-there-a-word-for-lowering-the-importance-of-something-by-summarizing-it — Centaurus, Jul 14 '16 at 17:37
It's amazing how many good answers there are for this one. It must be something people do constantly... — Chris Sunami, Jul 14 '16 at 20:16
Possible duplicate of Is there a word that means "a nicer word for a word"? — Edwin Ashworth, Jul 14 '16 at 22:59
"mincing words", although usually used when commenting about somebody or something else rather than about oneself (as in your examples). — Jason C, Jul 16 '16 at 08:04
@montelof that's not what undocumented means in that context. — user253751, Jul 20 '16 at 10:35
I was trying to reference the famous bug sugarcoating phrase: "It's not a bug; it's an undocumented feature" — montelof, Jul 20 '16 at 19:37
@montelof I could see where you were going with that but technically it's beyond sugarcoating--it's actually turning a negative into a positive. To put it in the context of the question it would be like a drunk insisting that he actually drives better after a few drinks. — Bill K, Jul 22 '16 at 17:21

score 186 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

186

Downplay

M-W: to make (something) seem smaller or less important

dictionary.com: to treat or speak of (something) so as to reduce emphasis on its importance, value, strength, etc.: The press has downplayed the president's role in the negotiations.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Jul 14 '16 at 15:07

vynsane

4,045

3

I'd probably use the expression "playing down" rather than "downplaying" as in "He was playing down the problem". I'm not sure if there's any real difference. – Richard Jul 15 '16 at 14:28
31

On the other hand, I find downplaying the problem to be smooth and natural, and playing down the problem to be very weird, because downplay is a single word, not a phrasal verb. The down part is not a preposition that would allow word reordering. For example, outtakes are short video clips of mistakes in filming. Would you ever break that apart into takes out? If the coach sidelines you, does he also line side you? If you are hijacked, are you jacked high? If someone lowballs your bid, were you also balled low? – ErikE Jul 15 '16 at 20:32
8

@Richard Fwiw, I've never heard the expression "playing down" although I've heard the verb "downplay" many, many times (AmE, Western Pennsylvania) – Jason C Jul 16 '16 at 08:01
@ErikE - No, but you might say that your car got 'jacked. – Richard Jul 16 '16 at 08:32
3

@Richard which could just as easily mean "messed up" or "destroyed" as "stolen while occupied". Not sure what your point is—I'm pretty sure you downplay things and don't down play them or play down things. The shot up of the situation is that we shouldn't load over our words. Grown in toenails really hurt. The boxer cut uppered his opponent. I am lighting high how odd it is to split prepositions out of single words that aren't phrasal verbs. I am storm braining for you! (Actually, you've given me a fun word game to play, thanks!) I hope I haven't done anything handed under. – ErikE Jul 16 '16 at 15:12
@erike - Perhaps it's an idiom in British English; https://next.ft.com/content/5ec81170-4101-11e6-b22f-79eb4891c97d – Richard Jul 16 '16 at 15:21
@Richard that article is behind a paywall. – ErikE Jul 16 '16 at 16:18
2

@ErikE - The FT headline is "Andrea Leadsom seeks to play down pro-EU comments". You can see similar content here; "Hammond plays down PM’s ‘spectre of war’ speech" http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hammond-seeks-to-play-down-pms-spectre-of-war-speech-jwnx9dfhz and here "The Latest: Congressional Dems play down Clinton report" - http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/25/the-latest-state-dept-audit-faults-clinton-in-emai/ – Richard Jul 16 '16 at 16:28
1

@Richard it's very set upping to know that the entire UK has gone mad and is perpetuating such a mistake founded on not knowing the difference between downplay and down play. (Hey, if that's how it's said over there, then no quibble from me, I just do find it right down jarring.) – ErikE Jul 16 '16 at 16:33
@erike - The last quote is from the WaTi, an American rag. – Richard Jul 16 '16 at 16:59
@Richard Well down me blow! was being somewhat dramatic. I accept that "play down" is in somewhat wide circulation. – ErikE Jul 16 '16 at 17:10
2

@ErikE - Don't you mean what some wide circulation? – Richard Jul 16 '16 at 17:11
2

@Richard That's the spirit! – ErikE Jul 16 '16 at 17:32
euphemise may be? – user13267 Jul 18 '16 at 12:02
exactly the response I came here to give. – Wayne Werner Jul 18 '16 at 13:50
British folks clearly don't understand English as well as Americans do ... "Play down"? Ha! – J. Taylor Jul 18 '16 at 14:18
1

@Richard The headlines you gave are still using down as a part of a phrasal verb, not as a preposition. The verb is either downplay(-s/-ed) or play(-s/-ed) down, depending on your regional spelling preferences. – Jed Schaaf Jul 18 '16 at 17:30
1

@J.Taylor - I've noticed that when sorely pressed, some Americans can actually speak and write a passable form of English. – Richard Jul 18 '16 at 17:35
@ErikE a speakers preference for "downplay" vs "play something down" is probably a function of the german influence in their community. people comfortable with german-derived compound verbs would convert "downplay the issue" to "play it down" like they would convert "blow up the issue" to "blow it up" (not "blow up it") – teldon james turner Jul 21 '16 at 17:18
@jamesturner I'm not so sure. I am quite comfortable with downplay it, and would probably notice and laugh at play it down. I tend to notice things like this where something is wrong in language. Play it down feels wrong in the same way that rpms feels wrong—I just know something isn't right with it. – ErikE Jul 21 '16 at 17:23
of course it's "playing down" ... not "downplay". – Fattie Jul 22 '16 at 18:15

score 129 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 14 '16 at 17:35

129

Sugarcoat - to make (something difficult or distasteful) appear more pleasant or acceptable.

You can't sugarcoat your alcoholism this time MonkeyZeus, I'm taking the kids and leaving you! Also, what parent in their right mind would name their child with a name as awful as yours?!

answered Jul 14 '16 at 17:35

MonkeyZeus

3,638
1
11
22

1

I thought sugarcoat was only used to soften harsh messages to others. – reinierpost Jul 18 '16 at 09:36
1

@reinierpost I think downplay is much more apt, but I think there are reasons you might want to sugarcoat your message if someone is sensitive to their own problem. – Wayne Werner Jul 18 '16 at 13:51
@WayneWerner yes, but I wasn't aware that someone could sugarcoat their own problem. – reinierpost Jul 18 '16 at 13:59
@reinierpost It does seem weird in almost every way, except in relation to the title of the question :) – Wayne Werner Jul 18 '16 at 14:07
2

@reinierpost: You could say the bank in the OP's example was sugarcoating their loan exposure, or say that they're downplaying the risk of their loan exposure. It's not a drop-in replacement for downplay. I just speak English, I don't analyze it, so I can't tell you exactly why "downplay their loan exposure" doesn't seem to mean exactly the same thing. (To me, "downplay their loan exposure" means de-emphasize the fact that there are bad loans, while "sugarcoat their loan exposure" means to give the impression that the loans aren't so bad, rather than avoiding the topic.) – Peter Cordes Jul 19 '16 at 06:45
@WayneWerner: ... cont'd: i.e. downplay could mean avoid the topic, while sugarcoat can't mean that. It can mean using euphemisms or actual lies about what's actually going on. However, I think sugarcoat also has other implications which don't fit the OP's use-case as well. Part of this is just gut-feeling, and I can't think of anything specific to say to explain. – Peter Cordes Jul 19 '16 at 06:47
2

Equivalently, candycoat. – Kylos Jul 22 '16 at 14:03
Another slight difference: to sugarcoat is an offensive move (part of an initiative to convince), to downplay is a defensive move (part of a response to uttered or anticipated criticism). As far as I've seen the terms used (but I'm not a native speaker, and I don't think my mother tongue has a term for either). – reinierpost Sep 10 '16 at 19:27

Frédéric · Answer 3 · 2016-07-18T13:58:07.490

121

A noun to express that could be euphemism:

Euphemism: The substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

Definition from the Merriam-Webster. The verb would be to euphemize

edited Jul 18 '16 at 13:58

answered Jul 14 '16 at 15:00

Frédéric

1,310

26

This. It's worth noting that in the long term, euphemisms fail, as people learn they mean the same thing as the "offensive" term, and thereby become "offensive" themselves. Consider how "crippled" was deemed offensive, and "handicapped" offered as the polite equivalent. As soon as people figured out it meant the same thing, it was swapped out for "disabled", which is now falling out of favor as well (Some have offered "differently-abled" while others, who don't know how English works, insist on "persons with disabilities" as if it were significantly different from "disabled person" – Monty Harder Jul 14 '16 at 17:41
12

@MontyHarder There are several names for this phenomenon; my favorite is the "euphemism treadmill" – Sabre Jul 14 '16 at 18:03
1

@Sabre Mine, too, but I ran out of space to shoehorn it in. :) – Monty Harder Jul 14 '16 at 22:33
When downvoting, a comment would be appreciated ! ;) – Frédéric Jul 15 '16 at 10:01
4

@MontyHarder Just a note on the "Persons with disabilities". This is done to put the reference to the "person" first in the phrase giving it a more personal focus and aiming to prevent addressing the disability over the person. Source: hours of corporate training. – gmiley Jul 15 '16 at 11:46
@MontyHarder and now, * physically challenged* – Narasimham Jul 16 '16 at 12:28
1

My personal favourite is how "person of colour" is considered polite but "coloured person" is considered rude! – Pyritie Jul 18 '16 at 13:37
@gmiley Yes, as I said, this nonsense comes from people who don't understand how English works (normally putting adjectives before nouns) as opposed to other languages). It will make not one iota of difference in how people are actually treated (other than perhaps stoking resentment in those who want to get off the treadmill and get back to honest communication rather than such circumlocutions). – Monty Harder Jul 18 '16 at 16:59
3

I don't agree with this answer. A euphemism is designed to express the same idea in more palatable terms. For instance, the asker's first example replaces "I'm an alcoholic" with "I had one too many drinks" - this changes the idea expressed (alcoholism is a chronic condition, one too many drinks is a single mistake even non-alcoholics make), so it's not a euphemism. A euphemism for this phrase would be something like "I'm not the type to refuse a drink", which still expresses an inability to stop drinking without using the often offensive term alcoholic. – talrnu Jul 19 '16 at 16:43
That explains why I dislike euphemisms so strongly: they seem dishonest somehow. – Bread Mar 29 '18 at 00:35

score 68 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

68

I'd say these are all understatements.

The presentation of something as being smaller or less good or important than it really is:
a master of English understatement
[COUNT NOUN]: to say I am delighted is an understatement

Reference:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/understatement

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Jul 14 '16 at 15:01

Bookeater

7,213
2
21
35

understate is a good word to answer this question. Actually, even more generally, the "under-" prefix can be used with a large number of verbs. e.g., underestimate, underperform, underwhelm... – TOOGAM Jul 16 '16 at 03:01
The only counter to this is that understate can also apply to positives. The question is specifically about negatives, which means that in some contexts, whitewash could be more applicable. – Rich Jul 21 '16 at 15:39

teldon james turner · Answer 5 · 2016-07-21T17:02:21.733

62

your examples sound like whitewashing

whitewash verb white·wash \ˈhwīt-ˌwȯsh, ˈwīt-, -ˌwäsh\

to make (something) whiter by painting it with whitewash

to prevent people from learning the truth about (something bad, such as a dishonest, immoral, or illegal act or situation)

examples:

a book that tries to whitewash the country's past

refused to whitewash the governor's chronic disregard for the truth

source: merriam-webster

Spin

In public relations, Spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure. While traditional public relations may also rely on creative presentation of the facts, "spin" often implies the use of disingenuous, deceptive, and highly manipulative tactics

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(propaganda)

Camouflage

edited Jul 15 '16 at 06:14

answered Jul 14 '16 at 22:54

Dave

341

2

Are you quoting someone here? If so, you should indicate that with a citation and probably a link. – Rose Kunkel Jul 14 '16 at 23:40
Came to suggest "spin-doctor", but yes, spin alone works better. – Dewi Morgan Jul 20 '16 at 05:28
upvoting for "spin", this is very common usage. Coming down from the PR/political sense, "spinning" is basically exactly what the OP is asking about -- "not quite lying" but bending the truth as much as is possible to make the subject matter seem more palatable to the audience. – Michelle C. Funk Jul 20 '16 at 15:53
Spin isn't unidirectional. You could spin a positive story about an opponent to seem more negative. "Sure, Bob attended the veteran's benefit dinner, but was he really there because he cares about vets, or just because he wanted to look good?" – barbecue Jul 23 '16 at 19:39

score 18 · Answer 11 · answered Jul 14 '16 at 17:09

_{In case you need something more than single-words...}

Make light of — TFD

to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous.
"I wish you wouldn't make light of his problems. They're quite serious."
"I make light of my problems, and that makes me feel better."

Make little of — TFD

to minimize someone or something; to play someone or something down; to belittle someone or something.
"John made little of my efforts to collect money for charity."
"The neighbors made little of John and thought he would amount to nothing."

score 8 · Answer 12 · answered Jul 15 '16 at 19:59

8

If you're in the mood for a colourful idiom: A superficial fix for a more serious issue can be called putting lipstick on the pig.

answered Jul 15 '16 at 19:59

Joel Brown

5,593

1

+1. We could probably coin lipsticking for this, for short (if it doesn't already exist). – Drew Jul 16 '16 at 01:54
4

+1, There are a number of other idioms for this, such as "polishing a turd". – DCShannon Jul 16 '16 at 04:03

Don Jewett · Answer 13 · 2016-08-04T15:47:22.730

Justify, Minimize, and Rationalize

Justify has a secondary meaning of trying to defend oneself (especially when not warranted) such as he tries to justify his actions.

Minimize has a secondary meaning of representing the lowest possible amount or importance as in he minimizes the importance of his actions.

This term is used in psychology with the definition: a type of deception involving denial coupled with rationalisation in situations where complete denial is implausible. It is the opposite of exaggeration. Wikipedia

Rationalize has primary meaning which is to give causes which superficially seem reasonable but are unrelated, such as he tries to rationalize his actions.

In psychology, it has the following definition: a defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable—or even admirable and superior—by plausible means. Wikipedia

score 5 · Answer 14 · answered Jul 15 '16 at 17:23

5

Ameliorate

This word was the first that popped into my head, which dictionary.com defines as:

to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve

dictionary.com made a distinction between ameliorate and:

Alleviate

to make easier to endure; lessen; mitigate

Which it claims, means to actually improve the situation, rather than merely downplaying it or sugar coating it

answered Jul 15 '16 at 17:23

flurbius

207
1
2

1

ameliorating about actual improvements. – Nemo Jul 17 '16 at 12:20

score 4 · Answer 15 · answered Jul 18 '16 at 12:08

4

Massage the truth

You can massage figures or facts to make them more amenable to your purposes. It sounds quite harmless.

answered Jul 18 '16 at 12:08

score 4 · Answer 16 · answered Jul 20 '16 at 01:00

These sentences use weasel words.

From M-W :

: a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position

Or a longer definition from wikipedia :

A weasel word (also, anonymous authority) is an informal term for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific and/or meaningful statement has been made, when only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged.

To tergiversate is synonymous with the use of weasel words to avoid making an outright assertion. Weasel words can imply meaning far beyond the claim actually being made. Some weasel words may also have the effect of softening the force of a potentially loaded or otherwise controversial statement through some form of understatement, for example using detensifiers such as "somewhat" or "in most respects"....

[...] Use of vague or ambiguous euphemisms (e.g., replacing "firing staff" with "streamlining the workforce")

score 3 · Answer 17 · edited Sep 07 '16 at 19:39

To be in denial is a slightly different take on your query that focuses somewhat more on the mental state of the person in question. But it directly applies to cases where, as you say in your question, "something should be dealt with, but it's kind of swept under the carpet by the misleading phrase."

in denial: A condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real. — M-W

Example: "I think John is in denial about his alcohol problem. Whenever I try to talk to him about it, he just says that he has a few drinks every now and then."

It is used most often in cases where Person A believes there's a problem that should be dealt with and Person B (usually either the one who has the problem or one who's consent or participation is necessary in order to deal with the problem) is unwilling or unable to recognize that the problem is as severe as Person A believes it to be.

score 2 · Answer 18 · answered Jul 20 '16 at 07:54

2

Sex up is how they referred to fiddling Tony Blair's Iraq dossier. Apparently this has entered general parlance (although I've not heard it elsewhere).

The implication is that no actual lying is taking place, but that spin is being placed on certain parts of the message.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexed_up

answered Jul 20 '16 at 07:54

Sexing-up is "hyping up" to make something seem more powerful or more significant, like Blair did with his WMD "evidence". The questioner asked for I think the opposite i.e. a word when the "real thing" is being downplayed. – k1eran Jul 21 '16 at 16:26
1

I've tweaked your idea and added a "sex down" answer ! – k1eran Jul 21 '16 at 16:34

score 2 · Answer 19 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:38

Inspired by MadMaardigan's "sexed up" answer, I suggest instead "sexed down".

E.g. from the BBC

The government has been accused of "sexing down" a draft report on alcohol misuse to prevent the study damaging the case for extending pub opening hours.

E.g. from businessinsider.com

LONDON (Reuters) - New delays to a major report into Britain's role in the Iraq War sparked fears on Wednesday that the public would conclude an inquiry's long-awaited findings had been "sexed down" to prevent criticism of former high-profile figures.

I can't find a respectable dictionary definition, but see the "sexed up" answer for the definition of original idiom.

score 1 · Answer 20 · answered Jul 18 '16 at 07:50

1

Note the term sweet lemons is used as a formal term in psycology as a defense mechanism.

Interestingly, it's hard to find via Google as the actual tree and Thai restaurants dominate the results. But here is a textbook showing what I remember.

answered Jul 18 '16 at 07:50

JDługosz

745

score 1 · Answer 21 · answered Jul 19 '16 at 04:23

1

The word 'prevaricate' matches your definition exactly: telling the truth, strictly speaking, but by subtly distorting the facts to effectively lie.

answered Jul 19 '16 at 04:23

Michael

130

Prevaricate does not convey the specific sense of reducing the importance of the thing discussed. You could just as well prevaricate to exaggerate the importance of a trivial thing. – barbecue Jul 23 '16 at 19:35
I think this word, Prevaricate, is the most accurate answer to the original question. The meaning when you type it into google is, "speak or act in an evasive way". Perfect. – Dave Jul 27 '16 at 06:18

score 1 · Answer 22 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:38

1

Rose-Colored Glasses or Rose-Tinted Glasses

You could say that you are viewing a problem through rose-colored glasses.

optimistic eyes (views the world through rose-colored glasses)

There is a good discussion about the etymology of the phrase at the following link.

Origin of "Rose tinted glasses"?

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:38

Community

1

answered Jul 22 '16 at 18:00

James

3,741

score 1 · Answer 23 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

A formal word for this is circumlocution, according to Cambridge Dictionary:

(an example of) an indirect way of saying something, especially something unpleasant

Cambridge Dictionary also provides to example sentences, these are quoted below:

"Economical with the truth" is a circumlocution for "lying".

Politicians are experts in circumlocution.

Attribution: "Circumlocution Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary." Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2018. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/circumlocution.

score 0 · Answer 24 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

If it is more pro-actively made-up we can call it romanticizing

the free dictionary says romanticize is

v.tr.

To view or interpret romantically; make romantic.

v.intr.

To think in a romantic way.

Google says it means:

deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.

with the sample sentence:

"the tendency to romanticize non-industrial societies"

Wiktionary also adds:

(transitive) To interpret or view something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner.

What is a word for making something seem not as bad as it actually is?

24 Answers24

Spin

Camouflage

Rose-Colored Glasses or Rose-Tinted Glasses

Linked

Related