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Glite Dictionary
to cast a pall

to cast a pall

4 8.2
Make a meeting or event feel gloomy and sad
  • idiom
: echar un manto de tristeza
  • These now infamous projects in Ilwaco and Garfield counties have cast a pall over this market segment.

It also casts a pall and a cloud over everyone around them.

Examples

  • My background is in the construction industry, and we have the same issue: a few bad apples cast a pall over the reputation of the entire industry.

    Blog text (11)

  • Her silence cast a pall over the numberless projects absorbing his every waking hour.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Bad equity decisions made early on, however, can cast a pall over what should otherwise be an exciting time.

    Blog text (10)

  • As he continues to examine issues of race, his thoughts cast a pall over the evening.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The winter rains soon descended, casting a pall over the valley and all who dwelled within.

    Walking with Dinosaurs (2013)

  • A spokesman for the Oscar-nominated actress said she was devastated... ...and that it cast a pall over the upcoming Academy Award ceremony.

    The Bodyguard (1992)

  • If Rob and Kristen are "back together," it's a huge win for the studio, because it means they can stop worrying that the stars' personal lives will cast a pall over the escapism of the film.

    Blog text (30)

  • The demise of Mars Observer last April cast a pall over the exploration of the Red Planet and seeded doubts about the future of planetary exploration.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Tolerating and enabling incompetent teacher performance casts a pall on good teachers and the profession. Admitting and maintaining poor teachers places the entire profession at risk.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The news of the accident cast a pall over the entire celebration.

Synonyms

to weigh down
vsto cast a pall
16 4.9

Make someone feel sad or worried

casts a shared gloomy atmosphere over events rather than personal burden
to cast a shadow
vsto cast a pall
13 6.2

Make a person, event, or situation seem less happy and less hopeful

spreads a gloomy, depressing atmosphere over a whole situation or event
to dampen spirits
vsto cast a pall
3 4.9

Make someone feel less happy and excited

creates a wider depressing atmosphere instead of only lowering cheerfulness
to deject
vsto cast a pall
1 6.5

To make someone feel sad or less hopeful

affects the overall atmosphere rather than only one person's mood
to cast a chill
vsto cast a pall
1 8.2

Make people feel uneasy, disappointed or uncomfortable

produces a broader, more openly gloomy mood across the situation

Antonyms

to cheer
248 1.0

To make someone feel happier

to lighten
125 3.4

To make people or a situation feel more cheerful

How Negative

to cast a pall
4 8.2
to overshadow
61 5.9
to put a damper on
  • Informal
13 5.8

Surface Forms

cast a pall infinitive
cast a pall past
cast a pall past participle
casting a pall present participle
casts a pall third person singular

Morphology

cast + a + pall

The meaning is directly built from 'cast' (to throw/send/project) and 'pall' (a spreading gloom); together they literally mean to project or spread gloom over a situation. This is a regular compositional verb + noun construction that a learner who knows both words can readily infer, so it is transparent.

Etymology

Cast a pall comes from the funeral image of a pall, a dark cloth that covers a coffin. To cast that cloth over a room or event makes the scene feel heavy and sad, so the phrase means 'to make something feel gloomy or depressing'.