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overshadow

verb

ˌō-vər-ˈsha-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce overshadow (audio)
Definition of overshadownext
1
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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 In practice, that means being able to manufacture for others without trying to overshadow them. — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 Albeit a tasty pastry, the polenta cake was overshadowed by the sherbet, bringing me back for spoon after spoon, each little taste unlocking a new world of tomato flavor. — Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2026 For Kumari, the investigation is now overshadowed by the loss of her only child. — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 Her Oscars triumph was also the night of the notorious Will Smith-Chris Rock on-stage slap, which overshadowed coverage. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overshadow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overshadow
  1. obscure
  2. outweigh
  3. darken
  4. blur
  5. blacken
Verb
  • What’s at issue is collateral damage, a term that came into use during the Vietnam War to obscure, through abstraction, that masses of civilians were being systematically blown to pieces.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The poster also obscured the system’s dynamic tracking accuracy.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • The Marquette poll found 71% of adults said the costs of building data centers outweigh the benefits, up from 62% in January.
    — Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • These cities and towns promised better jobs, cheaper homes, less traffic and higher quality of life, outweighing Florida’s allure of tropical weather and ease of getting by on Spanish alone.
    — Elliot Spagat, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of outweigh
Verb
  • Some woods are very photosensitive, like cherry and walnut, but cherry darkens with sun exposure while walnut fades.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026
  • China’s growth target is already its lowest since 1991, and the economic picture is darkened further by a real estate downturn that is straining local government finances and undercutting spending capacity, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of darken
Verb
  • As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Greene, who loves to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, uses this premise as a way to tenderly explore these people’s lives.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • On Tuesday, a silver cross on a long chain hung from the pine tree’s bark, which was peeling and blackened from the blaze.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The blaze blackened about 25 acres near the Getty Center before firefighters got the upper hand on it.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of blacken

Browse Nearby Words

oversexed
overshadow
overshadowed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overshadow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overshadow. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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