overwhelmed

[ oh-ver-hwelmd, -welmd ]

adjective

1. completely overcome in mind or feeling:

   She told the overwhelmed and sobbing mother she would take care of all medical expenses.

2. loaded, filled, or addressed with an excessive amount of anything:

   Over 100 dogs were transported to other parts of the state from overwhelmed animal shelters on the coast.

3. overpowered or crushed, as by superior forces:

   The aim of the coalition's operation was to stop the dictator and his army from attacking already overwhelmed rebel troops.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of overwhelm ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·ov·er·whelmed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of overwhelmed¹

overwhelm ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by too many moving parts, so be patient and give your body the time it needs to absorb a skill before turning to the next one.

From Outside Online

When temperatures rise, however, the vibrio begins reproducing rapidly, overwhelming the protective commensals.

From Nautilus

At first, he and his colleagues called to check on the students who weren’t logging on, but the calls only further overwhelmed their parents and guardians, roughly half of whom are foster parents.

From ProPublica

When this lands as a standard feature down the line, it will likely appeal to real-estate photographers and others who shoot in a mixture of indoor and outdoor settings where contrast can overwhelm a camera’s dynamic range.

From Popular-Science

One example of an immediate problem Meyerriecks says the agency faces is being overwhelmed by the amount of data it collects.

From MIT Technology Review

However, tradition overwhelmed the legal victory, and she sadly succumbed to the intense pressure to marry her attacker.

From The Daily Beast

We are overwhelmed with data from every quarter, and our capacity to filter fact from fraud is limited.

From The Daily Beast

The low crunch of packed dirt against rubber tire was overwhelmed by the ragged explosions of automatic gunfire.

From The Daily Beast

When Singh finally showed up at the front door of his home in Amritsar, his family was overwhelmed with relief.

From The Daily Beast

When you land in Fort Mac, a town of 100,000, you immediately are overwhelmed by the slickness of the brand new airport.

From The Daily Beast

He was sheriff of Paris, 1770, and employed his leisure in objects of benevolence, till the revolution overwhelmed him.

From Project Gutenberg

The door was open, and the woman and the child stood dumbfounded and overwhelmed in a scene of incredible desolation.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Ducksmith, who had sat with overwhelmed head in her hands, started bolt upright, and looked at him like one thunderstruck.

From Project Gutenberg

He didn't understand her but the thrill of what was to come overwhelmed him, and in the next instant he held her in his arms.

From Project Gutenberg

A sharp fight ensued, but the Americans, overwhelmed by the mass, had to retreat to Narvican.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• affected
• devastated
• moved
• overpowered