Dictionary

overshadow en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/ (US)
• (US) audio
• (Australia) audio
• /ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) 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. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 9:34:
2. (transitive) To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
   • President Obama gave an important press conference today and even took questions from the press, but all of this was overshadowed by the fact that Obama debuted one of the ugliest suits in the history of this great nation. 2014 August 28, Arit John, “No One Heard Anything Obama Just Said Because His Tan Suit Was So Loud”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2025:
   • It’s surely consequential that Jon has a claim to the throne, whether he knows about it or not, but all of that is overshadowed by his immediate circumstances, which are that Jon Snow is leading a raiding party beyond the Wall to kidnap a wight. 2017 August 13, Brandon Nowalk, “Oldtown offers one last game-changing secret as Game Of Thrones goes behind enemy lines (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 22 Aug 2017:
   • This is itself a cheerless spot, particularly on a rainy day, when, overshadowed by the great massif of rock that towers in the background, and surrounded by the grey and cheerless quarries, it has a depressing character much in contrast with the green verdure encountered on the northern end of this interesting branch line. 1954 August, H. M. Madgwick, “The Blaenau Festiniog Tunnel”, in Railway Magazine, page 569:
   • 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 regions; perhaps, too, because of the general habit of referring to them as "cliff lifts," which tends to associate them with the vertical indoor type. 1951 August, P. W. Gentry, “Cliff Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 514:
   • Only a handful of rock musicians have become genuine icons - larger-than-life symbolic figures whose personal triumphs and vicissitudes seem to mirror the ups and downs of rock as a whole, and sometimes of the society that nurtures it. Often, rock icons become the objects of personality cults that tend to overshadow their musical accomplishments. 1981 May 31, Robert Palmer, “Two Icons of Rock Music”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Apr 2023:
3. (transitive) To shelter or protect.

Forms

Deriveds

overshadower · overshadowment · overshadowingly

Synonyms

eclipse (dominate) · put to shame (dominate) · surpass (dominate) · outshine (dominate) · outstrip (dominate) · outshadow (dominate) · upstage (dominate) · dwarf (dominate) · outmatch (dominate) · outdo (dominate)

Translations (59)

enm overschadwen (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ru заслоня́ть (to cast a shadow over something) · bg засенчвам (to cast a shadow over something) · ga scáil a chaitheamh ar (to cast a shadow over something) · la obumbrō (to cast a shadow over something) · cs zastínit (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ka გადაფარავს (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · es asombrar (to cast a shadow over something) · pt ofuscar (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · hu háttérbe szorít (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · grc κατασκιάζω (to cast a shadow over something) · enm obumbren (to cast a shadow over something) · hu árnyékot vet (to cast a shadow over something) · ru затмева́ть (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · hu árnyékba borít (to cast a shadow over something) · sh zasjeniti (to cast a shadow over something) · is yfirskyggja (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · bg засенчвам (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ga sarú (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ca fer ombra (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ru омрача́ть (to cast a shadow over something) · pl zaćmiewać (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · es ensombrecer (to cast a shadow over something) · ru затмева́ть (to cast a shadow over something) · hu megszégyenít (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · pl ocienić (to cast a shadow over something) · da overskygge (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · enm obumbren (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · hu felülmúl (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · sh zasjeniti (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ru заслоня́ть (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · eo ombri (to cast a shadow over something) · eo eklipsi (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · da overskygge (to cast a shadow over something) · es eclipsar (persona, éxito) (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · es deslucir (ocasión) (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · fr éclipser (la gloire, une personne) (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ar غَطَّى (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · hu elhomályosít (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · pl ocieniać (to cast a shadow over something) · cmn 使黯然失色 (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · sv överskugga (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · de überschatten (to cast a shadow over something) · fi jättää varjoonsa (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · es opacar (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ca eclipsar (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · fi varjostaa (to cast a shadow over something) · pl zaćmić (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · no overskygge (to cast a shadow over something) · hu beárnyékol (to cast a shadow over something) · cmn 使相形見絀 /使相形见绌 (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · la umbrō (to cast a shadow over something) · fr ombrager (to cast a shadow over something) · cs zastínit (to cast a shadow over something) · de überschatten (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · ru превосходить (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · nl overschaduwen (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · pt eclipsar (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant) · no overskygge (to dominate something and make it seem insignificant)