Outvie

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. to exceed or excel in one's skills, achievements, or capabilities compared to others
2. to achieve a level of superiority or prominence over another individual through competition or excellence
3. To demonstrate greater skill or accomplishment than someone else

Etymology: "Outvie" is a compound of "out-" and "vie", and the pairing is more literal than it first looks. "Vie" comes from Middle English "vien", borrowed from Old French "vier" (to send, to challenge), which in turn traces back to Latin "invitare", to invite. The sense of inviting someone to a contest of bids, as in a card game, gave rise to the modern idea of competing with someone. The prefix "out-" does the rest of the work. Attached to a verb, it means to exceed or surpass, so to outvie someone is to beat them at the very contest of rivalry, leaving them behind in the same kind of effort. The word is a straightforward English formation rather than a loanword, and its parts remain easy to see when you hear it.

Synonyms: surpass, exceed

Antonyms: fail