To overlook something can mean to fail to notice it, or to have a view looking down over a place.
From “over” and “look,” first meaning “to look down from above.” The sense of “fail to notice” developed later, perhaps from looking ‘over’ something without really seeing it.
Overlook is a word with a split personality: it can mean carefully watching from above, or completely missing something. Language sometimes hides its own jokes—‘I overlooked it’ can mean you literally looked over it and still didn’t see.
Women’s achievements have often been overlooked in historical records, academic credit, and professional recognition, with their work attributed to male colleagues or omitted entirely.
When using ‘overlook,’ be specific about who was overlooked and why, and consider whether systemic bias played a role.
["neglect","miss","fail to recognize"]
Actively restore credit to women and gender-diverse contributors whose work was overlooked, especially in science, technology, and the arts.
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