Vocabulary in context
SAT Vocabulary Workbook
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Oversight
1) Supervision or management of a project, operation, or organization. 2) An unintentional failure to notice or do something; an omission or blind spot.
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Imagine This
Imagine a factory supervisor standing on a catwalk, eyes scanning every workstation; their vigilant oversight keeps safety rules intact and production on track.
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Sounds Like
oh-vər-sahyt
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Looks Like
Looks like two words: 'over sight' or 'over-site', suggesting something seen from above or by a supervisor.
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Remember This
Oversight has two opposing senses: careful supervision (positive) and an unintentional omission (negative). It can be confused with oversee (to supervise) and overlook (to miss).
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Other Forms
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Connect With
supervision, monitoring, watchfulness, oversight committees, attention to detail
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Note
Use oversight to refer to supervision or to a missed detail. Do not use it to mean 'to oversee' (that verb is oversee) or 'to miss' (that would be overlook); context will indicate which sense is intended.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The project's success was due to the manager's diligent oversight.
- A budgeting oversight led to costs exceeding the initial estimate.
Synonyms
supervisionwatchfulnessmonitoringdirectionadministration
Antonyms
neglectinattentioncarelessness
Etymology
From over + sight, from Middle English oversight, ultimately from Old English ofer-sih(t) meaning 'to look over.' First used to denote supervision; later extended to mean an omission or failure to notice.
Mnemonic
Mnemonic: Over + sight — imagine a giant eye hovering over a site, constantly watching to ensure nothing is missed. Oversight = supervision or an unnoticed omission.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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