inundated

American  

[in-uhn-dey-tid, -uhn-] / ˈɪn ənˌdeɪ tɪd, -ʌn- /

adjective

1. flooded.

   Desperate people in the inundated areas prayed for rescue even as the waters kept rising.

2. overwhelmed by a great volume of something.

   The first congratulatory email was a high for all of us; then we got another, and another, and by the end of the day we had an inundated inbox.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• uninundated adjective

Etymology

Origin of inundated

inundate + -ed ²

Explanation

Stand on a busy street corner handing out free cupcakes, and you'll be inundated with hungry customers. Inundated means "overwhelmed". The Latin root of inundated is inundare, literally "to overflow," and "overflowing" is still one of the meanings of the adjective inundated. A river bank can become inundated with water, or flooded, just as a movie star can be inundated with autograph requests.

Example Sentences

Cooper said in a TikTok video Monday that she was embarrassed responding to the internet-fueled drama, but after being inundated with tags, comments and direct messages, she decided making a statement was long overdue.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

"In comes Shaquille with bodyguards, friends, coaches, trainers - I was just inundated with people," says McKechnie.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

When Choudhury posts about which dinosaurs his followers want to see in the film, his replies are quickly inundated with scientific renderings of all kinds of giant beasts.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Salm said Frankenburg had already sold its missiles to two different countries, which he declined to name, and that the startup had been inundated with inquiries from Gulf nations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Moments later we were inundated with a flood of calls from media, clients, families, and children’s rights advocates.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• afloat
• flooded