Bested

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛstɪd/

Definitions

1. To attain a more favorable result against an adversary in a challenge
2. To have triumphed over a competitor by achieving a better outcome in a contest
3. To have overcome someone in a competition or struggle ; to have done better than another in skill or achievement

Etymology: "Bested" is the past tense and past participle of "best," used as a verb meaning to get the better of someone in a contest. The verb "best" is not a simple extension of the adjective and adverb "best" in the way one might expect. Its history runs through "bestead," an older verb that once meant to help, benefit, or be of use to someone, and to put someone in a difficult position. Over time, the sense of "bestead" as a position of disadvantage shaded into the idea of getting the upper hand over someone, and "best" took on that competitive meaning. So the word's most surprising turn is that its root meaning concerns position and circumstance rather than superiority: a person who was "bestead" was placed, for good or ill, in a certain situation, and the modern sense of beating a rival grew out of that older idea of gaining an advantage over another party.

Synonyms: defeated, overcome, vanquished, outperformed, outdone

Antonyms: won, triumphed, succeeded, mastered, conquered