overshadow
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overshadow
- /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/ UK
- /ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/ US
Rhymes with -ædəʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to overshadow”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufarskadwjan, “to overshadow”), and more distantly, Old Norse yfirskyggja (“to overshadow”), Danish overskygge (“to overshadow”), Swedish överskugga (“to overshadow”), Old English ofersċūwan (“to overshadow”).
verb overshadows · overshadowing · overshadowed
- To obscure something by casting a shadow. While he thus ſpake, there came a cloud, and ouerſhadowed them, ⁊ they feared, as they entred into the cloude.
-
To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
A branch of rail transport that seems to been rather neglected by historians is that concerned with cliff railways, of which a fair number exist in Great Britain. This is probably because these lines are overshadowed by the more spectacular funicular railways in Switzerland and other mountainous reg
Similar: eclipse, outshadow, outshine, outdo, put to shame, upstage, surpass, outmatch, outstrip, dwarf
- To shelter or protect.
Translations
Every language
verb to cast a shadow over something
| Español | asombrar, ensombrecer |
|---|---|
| Français | ombrager |
| Deutsch | überschatten |
| Русский | затмева́ть zatmevátʹ, заслоня́ть zaslonjátʹ, омрача́ть omračátʹ |
verb to dominate something and make it seem insignificant
| Español | eclipsar (persona, éxito), deslucir (ocasión), opacar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 使黯然失色 shǐ ànránshīsè, 使相形見絀 /使相形见绌 shǐ xiāngxíngjiànchù |
| Português | eclipsar, ofuscar |
| Français | éclipser (la gloire, une personne) |
| Deutsch | überschatten |
| Русский | затмева́ть zatmevátʹ, заслоня́ть zaslonjátʹ, превосходить prevosxoditʹ |
| العربية | غَطَّى ḡaṭṭā |
Talk about this word "overshadow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/overshadow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. overshadow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/overshadow "overshadow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/overshadow.Cite this
@misc{overshadow_2026,
title = {overshadow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/overshadow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
