OVERSHADOW Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

overshadow

verb

ˌō-vər-ˈsha-(ˌ)dō

Definition of overshadow

as in to obscure

to make dark, dim, or indistinct large trees overshadow the yard and darken the house for much of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to outweigh

to be greater in importance than later you'll find that verbal skills overshadow any skills you have at video games

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overshadow But in the general election, even AIPAC has been overshadowed by the GOP’s big-business donors, many of them in tech, who have given Republicans a historic spending advantage in this year’s contests. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026 Compact digital cameras are back, too, with younger consumers embracing devices once overshadowed by smartphone photography. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026 Within the 2026 Curated Beauty Advent Calendar, Free People also shines a spotlight on its in-house beauty line, which is often overshadowed by the company’s bohemian-and-beloved apparel. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 Tensions in the street are contributing to fractious politics ahead of a presidential race overshadowed by debt that will determine Emmanuel Macron’s successor. — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overshadow

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overshadow

Verb

But take a walk inside and the ground is laden with faint slabs of rock, gravestones from a centuries-old Indigenous family cemetery that had been obscured by the passage of time and neglect.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
However, any potential signal is expected to be faint and can be obscured by cosmic variance, the statistical uncertainty that arises when observations cover only a finite portion of the universe.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscure

Verb

Will those risks outweigh the benefits, especially with extremely low early-stage detection for prostate, breast, ovarian, skin, and inadequate evidence of accuracy for many other cancers?

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
For the average family, a steady paycheck remains the single most impactful financial asset, outweighing market movements.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of outweigh

Verb

But whether in Frankfurt or, later, Weimar — where Soviet officials are as keen to canonize Thomas — this father and daughter aren’t simply driving through Germany but taking a tour across fascism’s long shadow, which still darkens the world.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Visual Forensics The monument would darken the nation’s premier military burial ground early in the morning on more than 280 days a year, a Post analysis finds.

— Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of darken

Verb

As the balloon and its occupants fell to the ground, the nylon envelope and the gondola separated, and the wreckage scattered over a roughly 100-yard area, parts of it blackened by the explosion and resulting fire.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh.

— Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of blacken

Browse Nearby Words

oversexed

overshadow

overshadowed

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Style

“Overshadow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overshadow. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of overshadow

verb

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