as in exceeded
to be greater, better, or stronger than
believes Secretariat would outmatch any other horse in racing history
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Recent Examples of outmatched
Tennessee looked outmatched for most of the game, and that was even as Blanca Quiñonez, one of the nation’s top freshmen, sat on UConn’s bench with a day-to-day shoulder injury.
—
Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Those characterizations are intrinsic to the series, and Bridgerton won’t stray from them, but they’re creatively outmatched by Sophie’s commitment to advocating for the working class.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Though militarily outmatched, Tehran has leverage in its ability to disrupt energy markets and global trade from one of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 29 Jan. 2026
Ambitions often vastly outmatched what was technically feasible or economically sustainable.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Their roster height averages 6-foot-2 and the shorter Trojans were outmatched.
—CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes have a good enough resume to get an at-large berth, but to do so would probably have to surpass Notre Dame (which Miami beat early in the season) or else Alabama (badly outmatched in a 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday).
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 7 Dec. 2025
This team was completely outmatched on Sunday.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2025
Or the fact that CeeDee Lamb — albeit, a top-five receiver — simply outmatched KC cornerback Trent McDuffie throughout the afternoon.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Nov. 2025
Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Those characterizations are intrinsic to the series, and Bridgerton won’t stray from them, but they’re creatively outmatched by Sophie’s commitment to advocating for the working class.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Though militarily outmatched, Tehran has leverage in its ability to disrupt energy markets and global trade from one of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 29 Jan. 2026
Ambitions often vastly outmatched what was technically feasible or economically sustainable.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Their roster height averages 6-foot-2 and the shorter Trojans were outmatched.
—CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes have a good enough resume to get an at-large berth, but to do so would probably have to surpass Notre Dame (which Miami beat early in the season) or else Alabama (badly outmatched in a 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday).
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 7 Dec. 2025
This team was completely outmatched on Sunday.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2025
Or the fact that CeeDee Lamb — albeit, a top-five receiver — simply outmatched KC cornerback Trent McDuffie throughout the afternoon.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outmatched
Verb
-
In the aftermath of the 2007-09 Great Recession, Warsh — then a Fed governor — objected to some of the central bank’s efforts to help the struggling economy by pushing down rates even though unemployment exceeded 9%.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
In the aftermath of the 2007-2009 Great Recession, Warsh — then a Fed governor — objected to some of the central bank’s efforts to help the struggling economy by pushing down rates even though unemployment exceeded 9%.—
Paul Wiseman,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The average price of new cars fluctuates in the span of a year, but in September, the average price of a new car surpassed $50,000—a record high, according to estimates by Kelley Blue Book.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
-
City Hall’s expenses far surpassed its revenues for the past two years.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Recently, though, her charisma, cutting humor and being a loving mother have somehow eclipsed those accusations, and not even an entire TLC docuseries about her and her church could dent put a dent in her popularity.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Their fear for their own lives was eclipsed by an urgent sense of responsibility toward the civilians being starved and bombed to death.—
Yousra Elbagir,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Taking a backseat to the 2026 blizzard Though its societal impact may never be topped, the Blizzard of '78 must now take a back seat to the 2026 blizzard in terms of the snowiest storm in Rhode Island history.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Toppings will range from traditional to the playful mashup of the Carnitas Pizza, topped with carnitas, a rajas crema, cilantro, onions and chiles.—
Helen Freund,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Outmatched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outmatched. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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