overshadow

/ˌoʊvərˈʃædoʊ/

Say it: oh-ver-SHAD-oh

1. verb To make someone or something seem less important, successful, or impressive by comparison.
Her recent accomplishments have been overshadowed by the team's overall poor performance.
2. verb To cast a shadow over something, literally covering it in darkness or shade.
The new skyscraper will overshadow the historic church next door.
3. verb To fill a place or period of time with a feeling of sadness or worry.
The news of his illness overshadowed the holiday celebrations.

📖 Seen in the wild

His brilliant performance in the final overshadowed all previous efforts.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ overshadow in a sentence

The political scandal threatened to overshadow the important economic summit.
I hope this one mistake doesn't overshadow all the great work you've done this year.
The team's championship win was sadly overshadowed by the star player's retirement announcement.
For centuries, the contributions of many female artists were overshadowed by those of their male contemporaries.
A sense of impending doom overshadowed the final chapters of the novel.
Don't let your fears overshadow your dreams.
The sheer scale of the Alps overshadowed every village nestled in the valleys.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

eclipse dwarf outshine upstage diminish surpass dominate obscure

eclipse · implies a more total and complete obscuring of something else.

dwarf · suggests making something seem small or insignificant by sheer scale or size.

outshine · focuses on surpassing something through superior brilliance, talent, or performance.

upstage · implies deliberately stealing attention, especially in a public or performance context.

Opposites: highlight, accentuate, emphasize, spotlight, enhance

🌱 Where it comes from

The word is a straightforward combination of 'over' and 'shadow', first recorded in Old English as 'ofersceadwian'. It began with the literal meaning of casting a physical shadow upon something. By the late 16th century, it had developed its more common figurative sense of obscuring something's importance or casting a gloom over it.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

overshadowed by eventscompletely overshadowthreaten to overshadowtend to overshadowsadly overshadowed by

Overshadow is a versatile word used in both formal and informal contexts. Its primary power lies in its figurative sense of diminishing something's importance. While the word itself is neutral, the situation it describes is often unfortunate, as one thing's prominence comes at the cost of another's. Be careful not to confuse it with 'overlook', which means to fail to notice something, not to diminish it by comparison.

💬 Quick answers

What does overshadow mean?

Overshadow most often means to make something seem less important or successful because another, more prominent thing has captured all the attention. For example, a major news event can overshadow other stories.

What is the difference between 'overshadow' and 'eclipse'?

'Overshadow' suggests that something's importance is diminished by comparison, but it's still there. 'Eclipse' is stronger, implying that something has been completely blocked from view or totally surpassed.

Is 'overshadow' a negative word?

It often has a negative or unfortunate connotation because it implies that something deserving of attention is being ignored or diminished. The thing doing the overshadowing is not necessarily bad, but the effect on the other thing is.

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