Upstaging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Drawing focus away from another person by performing or behaving in a way that makes them seem less important
2. Taking attention from someone else by outshining their actions or presence in a social or performance context
3. Causing someone to appear less notable by exhibiting a stronger or more impressive display that captures the audience's notice

Etymology: The verb comes from the theatre, and its sense depends on the shape of the stage. Many traditional stages were raked, sloping down toward the audience, so the back of the stage (the "upstage" end, farther from the audience) sat higher and was the spot where a performer drew the most eyes. An actor who moved backward to that position could force a fellow performer to turn away from the audience to keep up with the conversation, leaving the other actor's face hidden and the audience's attention on the upstager. That practice gave the word its figurative sense: to take attention away from someone else by stealing the focus. The older "haughty" sense, meaning to act superior or aloof, grew from the same image of standing higher than others on the stage. The word is a compound of "up" and "stage," and its meaning in the theatre came first, with the wider uses following from it.

Synonyms: overshadowing, outshining, distracting, diverting, eclipsing

Antonyms: highlighting, emphasizing, showcasing, spotlighting, promoting