is there a verb for making something seem less important by bringing up something even worse beforehand?
eg:
Let's say Person A is worried about breaking bad news to Person B, so they tell Person C first, who starts crying upon finding out said news, and then Person B speaks with a broken voice after hearing that same news moments later, which Person A feels less bad about, because they were expecting a much worse reaction due to Person C's intense reaction from before.
Person C's more intense reaction *insert verb*s Person B's.
Right now I'm using the word 'softens' but I don't think that quite cuts it.
(I'm sorry for the very specific example)
As explained, it's a word that refers to making something seem smaller than it is.
Example sentence:
"I find the anodyne tone of his missive _ the torment that the victims were put through."
(Do check out the compulsory comment for some words that are similar to it, but aren't it)