soft-pedal

soft-ped·al
UK/ˌsɒf(t)ˈpɛdl̩/US/ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/US/ˈsɑf(t)-/

verb

To reduce the volume of (music, a sound, etc.).

Similar
de-emphasizedownplay
Opposite
emphasizehighlightspotlight
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Meanings

verbsoft-pedal (third-person singular simple present soft-pedals, present participle (US) soft-pedaling or (UK) soft-pedalling, simple past and past participle (US) soft-pedaled or (UK) soft-pedalled)

present singular third person soft-pedals · US participle present soft-pedaling · UK participle present soft-pedalling · US participle past soft-pedaled · US past soft-pedaled · UK participle past soft-pedalled · UK past soft-pedalled

  1. transitiveTo reduce the volume of (music, a sound, etc.).
  2. figurativelytransitiveTo reduce the force or impact of (something); to damp, to mute; especially, to minimize the less desirable aspects of (something); to play down, to tone down.

    But when the first female also-ran at a convention merits such hoopla and hosannas, then it is harder for viewers to understand why the Democrats seem intent on soft-pedaling their presumptive nominee's arguably more remarkable breakthrough.

    2008 August 27, Alessandra Stanley, “Obama team soft-pedals a milestone in history”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2023

    Synonyms: de-emphasize, downplay · Antonyms: emphasize, highlight, spotlight

  3. figurativelytransitiveTo attempt to persuade someone about (something) through understatement, so that the listener accepts the good points as obvious.
  4. figurativelyintransitiveChiefly followed by on: to act in a less assertive or forceful manner.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo reduce the force or impact of (something); to damp, to mute; especially, to minimize the less desirable aspects of (something); to play down, to tone down.

Similar
de-emphasizedownplay
Opposite
emphasizehighlightspotlight
Also see
soap

Origin

From soft pedal (“leftmost foot-pedal on most pianos which, when pushed, dampens the strings and so softens the note played”, noun).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish hiljentää, vaimentaa
  • hiljentääto reduce the volume of (music, a sound, etc.)
  • vaimentaato reduce the volume of (music, a sound, etc.)
  • painaa villaisellato reduce the force or impact of (something) — see also damp, mute
  • pehmitelläto reduce the force or impact of (something) — see also damp, mute
  • pehmitelläto attempt to persuade someone about (something) through understatement
  • vähätelläto attempt to persuade someone about (something) through understatement
  • maltillistuato act in a less assertive or forceful manner
French mettre la pédale douce
  • mettre la pédale douceto reduce the force or impact of (something) — see also damp, mute
German herunterspielen
  • herunterspielento reduce the force or impact of (something) — see also damp, mute
Italian sottacere, abbindolare
  • sottacereto reduce the force or impact of (something) — see also damp, mute
  • abbindolareto attempt to persuade someone about (something) through understatement
Cite this entry
APA

soft-pedal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-pedal

MLA

“soft-pedal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-pedal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soft-pedal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soft-pedal.

Source: soft-pedal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.