MEANING
1. To cast a shadow over something.
2. To make something seem less important or noticeable by dominating attention.
3. To darken an experience with worry, grief, or another adverse feeling.
Use it for
Loss dominating ordinary life, past events controlling the present, looming buildings.Let one presence diminish another without saying it disappears.
Words that belong together
- overshadow a celebration
- overshadowed by grief
- tower overshadows
On the page
The funeral overshadowed every other event that winter.
A ruined tower overshadowed the gardener's cottage.
Her brother's disappearance had overshadowed her achievements for years.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- overshadow / overshadows
- Past tense
- overshadowed
- Past participle
- overshadowed
- Present participle
- overshadowing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- overshadow / overshadows
- Present continuous
- am/is/are overshadowing
- Present perfect
- have/has overshadowed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been overshadowing
- Past
- overshadowed
- Past continuous
- was/were overshadowing
- Past perfect
- had overshadowed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been overshadowing
- Future
- will overshadow / overshadows
- Future continuous
- will be overshadowing
- Future perfect
- will have overshadowed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been overshadowing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Literal and figurative; emotional overshadowing need not erase everything else. Verb: overshadow, overshadows, overshadowed, overshadowed, overshadowing.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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