Playing up
Spent and playing up are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Spent" instead an adjective phrase "Playing up".
Spent
Spent adjective - Depleted in strength, energy, or freshness.
Playing up and spent are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Playing up" instead an adjective "Spent".
Nearby Word: spend
Both terms in one sentence
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This is after he's spent the game playing up how shallow, self-interested and jovially merciless he is.
Source: Obvious Judas - Burn Notice spent a solid four seasons of Michael playing up being the bad guy and doing borderline criminal activities to sell those roles in the name of the greater good.
Source: Internal Deconstruction -
One chef spent his introduction playing up his training in French cuisine, comparing himself to a train coming through and squashing all competitors, and even proudly stating that his marriage ended in divorce due to him putting his job ahead of his wife.
Source: Series / Chopped
Cite this Source
Spent and Playing up. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/playing_up/spent
Playing up & Spent. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/playing_up/spent>.
Spent or Playing up. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/playing_up/spent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "playing up" and "spent" have occurred on timeline