Word
overshadowed
Phoneticsover·shad·owed
US/ˌoʊvɝˈʃædoʊd/
UK/ˌəʊvəʃˈædəʊd/
Definition
adj. feeling less important or less successful because someone else is much more impressive than you. It also describes a situation where one bad thing makes people forget about all the good things.
adj. appearing less significant, impressive, or prominent by comparison with something else. Often used to describe a person's achievements being eclipsed by a peer or a positive event being ruined by a negative one.
Examples
“He felt overshadowed by his famous older sister.”
“The team's impressive victory was overshadowed by the news that their star player had suffered a serious injury.”
“Despite her groundbreaking research in physics, her contributions were frequently overshadowed by the more flamboyant personalities of her male colleagues during the mid-century scientific boom.”
Examples
simple
“He felt overshadowed by his famous older sister.”
contextual
“The team's impressive victory was overshadowed by the news that their star player had suffered a serious injury.”
complex
“Despite her groundbreaking research in physics, her contributions were frequently overshadowed by the more flamboyant personalities of her male colleagues during the mid-century scientific boom.”
Usage
Participial adjective; frequently follows linking verbs like 'feel', 'be', or 'become'.
Real-World Examples
“Olga said the court’s decision marked the first positive news they had received in four years but that it was overshadowed by “constant uncertainty and fear of deportation”.” “But the action was overshadowed by the reaction to Fernandez's second-half appearance, less than 24 hours after Chelsea's self-imposed transfer deadline had passed.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/overshadowed