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? asked in Education & ReferenceWords & Wordplay · 3 weeks ago

Why do the words ‘overlook’ and ‘oversee’ mean different things when look and see are nearly synonyms?

4 Answers

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  • Karen L
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    Nearly synonyms....but not quite synonyms.

  • Zirp
    Lv 5
    3 weeks ago

    Because we need different words for different things

  • GuantanamoGeorge
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    Because the prefix over- has various meanings. Consider "overshoot" "overachieve" "overarch" etc.

    What's more confusing is that the noun form of both "overlook" and "oversee" is "oversight" which is kind of amusing in the case of US Senate oversight committees.

  • busterwasmycat
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    Yet look and see are not identical, so why would you expect their derivations to be identical?

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