live in the shadow of
To be overshadowed one's entire life, especially by a relative or predecessor.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He lives in the shadow of his famous father.”
“The young athlete struggled to find his own identity while living in the shadow of his brother's Olympic success.”
“Throughout her long career in the arts, she constantly felt she was living in the shadow of her mother's legendary reputation as a painter.”
- 01
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 02
cast a shadow
To dampen future events.
- 03
die the way one lived
To die because of or after doing something characteristic of oneself, especially something that one enjoyed doing.
- 04
live a lie
To conceal something about oneself, without the knowledge of which others cannot know one's true character or perspective.
- 05
live and die by
Be completely reliant upon.
- 06
live and let live
To be tolerant; to enjoy the pleasures and opportunities which life offers and to allow others to do the same.
- 07
live beyond one's means
Have a lifestyle where one's spending regularly exceeds one's income.
- 08
live down
To cause others to forget about something embarrassing that happened to oneself.
Last updated August 10, 2026