as in surpassed
to be greater, better, or stronger than
a tennis player who outclassed the competition, breezing through the tournament without losing a set
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Recent Examples of outclassed
The Giants weren’t just swept by the New York Yankees to begin Vitello’s managerial tenure, but outclassed in every facet of the game.
—
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
The stat sheet will show Arkansas matched up well – the rebounding and turnover columns were pretty even, and those are usually the places where games are won – but the Wildcats simply outclassed Calipari’s team in the paint and shooting from the floor.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Apples to apples, Boulder outclassed the competition.
—Bob Marshall, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
The Knicks were again outclassed by the NBA-best Pistons — this time at Madison Square Garden — in a 126-111 loss on Thursday night as Detroit completed a decisive regular-season sweep.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
When the buzzer mercifully sounded, the box score made no bones about the fact the Trojans had been outworked and outclassed in almost every facet of the game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Even with their entire contingent of guards healthy and Bediako getting into the swing, Oats’ team was badly outclassed.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of this blowout.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of the Tide’s biggest blowout loss since September 1998.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
The stat sheet will show Arkansas matched up well – the rebounding and turnover columns were pretty even, and those are usually the places where games are won – but the Wildcats simply outclassed Calipari’s team in the paint and shooting from the floor.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Apples to apples, Boulder outclassed the competition.
—Bob Marshall, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
The Knicks were again outclassed by the NBA-best Pistons — this time at Madison Square Garden — in a 126-111 loss on Thursday night as Detroit completed a decisive regular-season sweep.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
When the buzzer mercifully sounded, the box score made no bones about the fact the Trojans had been outworked and outclassed in almost every facet of the game.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Even with their entire contingent of guards healthy and Bediako getting into the swing, Oats’ team was badly outclassed.
—Jim Root, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of this blowout.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of the Tide’s biggest blowout loss since September 1998.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outclassed
Verb
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The unemployment rate of recent college graduates has surpassed that of all workers, according to New York Federal Reserve Bank data.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
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The project was such a big hit that the Russos and Hargrave had to bring its main character back from the dead (Hemsworth’s Rake seemed to have died at the end of the first film) for the second installment, which surpassed the streaming numbers of the first pic.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Released in July 2001, Legally Blonde quickly exceeded expectations, becoming both a box office hit and a cultural touchstone.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Their share of total cathode output consistently exceeded 70% through late 2025 and into the new year, marking a structural shift in manufacturing priorities.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They were eclipsed by Republicans Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, both of whom polled at 14%.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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From the viewpoint of Integrity, the Moon eclipsed the Sun for nearly an hour.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Henderson made the right decision in the eighth inning, hitting a tie-breaking, two-run home run against reliever Chris Murphy as the Orioles topped the Sox 4-2 in front of 10,750 at Rate Field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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This stick-to-your-ribs recipe is like ground beef-and-bean chili topped with a layer of gooey cheese and a layer of golden cornbread.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outclassed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outclassed. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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