overshadow
English
WOTD – 21 February 2008
Etymology
From Middle English overshadwen, overshadewen, from Old English ofersceadwian. Calque of Latin obumbrō, from ob (“over”) + umbrō (“shade”). Equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare Dutch overschaduwen, German überschatten.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ædəʊ
Verb
overshadow (third-person singular simple present overshadows, present participle overshadowing, simple past and past participle overshadowed)
- (transitive) To obscure something by casting a shadow.
- (transitive) To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
- 2017 August 13, Brandon Nowalk, “Oldtown offers one last game-changing secret as Game Of Thrones goes behind enemy lines (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:
- It’s surely consequential that Jon has a claim to the throne, whether he knows about it or not, but all of that is overshadowed by his immediate circumstances, which are that Jon Snow is leading a raiding party beyond the Wall to kidnap a wight.
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- (transitive) To shelter or protect.
Synonyms
- (dominate): eclipse, outshadow, outshine, outdo, put to shame, upstage, surpass, outmatch, outstrip, dwarf
Translations
to cast a shadow over something
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to dominate something and make it seem insignificant
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