highlight vs play up

highlight is a noun but play up is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
highlight	Yes	No	Yes	No
play up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, highlight and play up are synonyms defined as:

highlight and play up: move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent

Other synonyms of highlight include foreground, spotlight.

highlight (noun)	play up (noun)
an area of lightness in a picture
the most interesting or memorable part

highlight (verb)	play up (verb)
apply a highlighter to one's cheeks or eyebrows in order to make them more prominent	move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent	ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior