Outweigh

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌaʊtˈweɪ/

Definitions

1. To be more significant or important than something else, or to have greater weight or influence in comparison
2. To have a greater influence, significance, or superiority over another element in a comparison of values or importance
3. To have more influence, value, or significance compared to another thing

Etymology: The word is a simple combination: "out" plus "weigh," meaning to exceed something in weight, importance, or value. The first part, "out," traces back through Old English "ūt" and Proto-Germanic "ūt" to a root shared with many other Germanic languages, where it carried the sense of "outside" or "beyond." Attached to "weigh," it gave the idea of surpassing something on the scale. "Weigh" itself has a longer pedigree. It descends from Proto-Germanic "wegan," which described lifting or moving something to measure its heaviness, and passed through Old English "wegan" and Middle English "weyen" before reaching its modern spelling. The verb "outweigh" follows the same pattern as other "out-" verbs in English, such as "outrun" or "outlast," where the prefix adds the notion of going beyond a limit.

Synonyms: exceed, surpass, outbalance, overshadow, override

Antonyms: be outweighed, be outnumbered, fall short, be under, be less than