Showing results for "overlooked"

• past tense form of overlook.
• past participle of overlook.

overlooked

American  

[oh-ver-lookt] / ˌoʊ vərˈlʊkt /

adjective

1. not noticed, or not considered, used, etc..

   This collection of songs includes some long overlooked material by the artist.

2. 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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of overlook.

Other Word Forms

• unoverlooked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of overlooked

overlook ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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

See Examples For:

overlooked

A relentlessly driven, shrewd deal-maker and entrepreneur, Allen is used to defying skeptics and seeing opportunity in assets overlooked by others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

But what if that woman’s work, the work she believes was overlooked by The New York Times, is telling women like her that they should not work outside the home?

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

With their dated decor, hotel-like hallways, overhead ceiling tiles and abandoned office spaces, the Backrooms resemble the overlooked non-places of modern life – spaces many people recognize but rarely notice.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

While many point to the affordability crisis, widening wealth gap or other major financial downturns to explain this trend, the influence of higher education can’t be overlooked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Indeed, it has been generally overlooked: there is not a single citation of it in Google Scholar, or in Thomson Reuters Web of Science.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• forgotten
• neglected
• unnoticed