overlooked
Americanadjective
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not noticed, or not considered, used, etc..
This collection of songs includes some long overlooked material by the artist.
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indulgently or generously excused or disregarded, as faults or misbehavior.
We share love in a million different ways—a kind word or friendly smile here, an overlooked offense or an act of service there.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of overlooked
Explanation
Something that's overlooked is either not seen or deliberately ignored. If you find a plastic egg full of stale jelly beans in June, it may be an overlooked prize from April's Easter egg hunt. When you disregard, pass over, or fail to notice something, you can call it overlooked. Your best friend's overlooked faults might include her tendency to be late and her annoying laugh — you ignore both because you like her so much. This adjective stems from the verb overlook, which is currently defined as "fail to notice" but originally meant "peer over the top of" or "inspect."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Across town, Independent 20th Century, now being staged in the Breuer Building, highlights overlooked artists from the past century as well as less-studied aspects of well-known creators’ careers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The club's training centre is also expected to support research into female athlete health, an area Kang believes has been overlooked for decades.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Researchers at Hokkaido University set out to take a closer look at these overlooked fats by studying japonica rice, the short- to medium-grain type commonly associated with Japanese rice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
There’s no way the Television Academy could have overlooked Steve Carell’s unflinching performance in NBC’s “The Office.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
She never overlooked an opportunity, and it seemed that these opportunities came about every fifteen minutes.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
