1
Block from view
Obscure one celestial body with another.
Example
The moon briefly eclipsed the sun.
eclipse
/ɪˈklɪps/ · ih-KLIPSverb
To overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
Use eclipse when the context supports this precise sense: to overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
What eclipse Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Overshadow attention
Make another achievement seem less prominent.
Example
The controversy eclipsed the exhibition’s artistic success.
3
Surpass distinction
Become more important or impressive than something earlier.
Example
Her later essays eclipsed the work that first made her famous.
Use eclipse Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The moon briefly eclipsed the sun.
The controversy eclipsed the exhibition’s artistic success.
Her later essays eclipsed the work that first made her famous.
Precision Matters
Eclipse overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
eclipse
vs.Means to overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
transcend
Means to rise above or go beyond an ordinary limit.
eclipse
vs.Means to overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
obscure
Means not well known or difficult to understand.
eclipse
vs.Means to overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
surpass
Means to exceed or go beyond a person, level, expectation, or achievement.
eclipse
vs.Means to overshadow, obscure, or surpass something in importance or brilliance.
accentuate
Means to make a feature or difference more noticeable or prominent.
Test eclipse in Context
The controversy may overshadow the work’s important contribution.
1
Although the study was methodologically sound, debate about one provocative sentence threatened to ___ its broader contribution.