overwhelmed

American  

[oh-ver-hwelmd, -welmd] / ˌoʊ vərˈʰwɛlmd, -ˈwɛlmd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unoverwhelmed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of overwhelmed

overwhelm ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Overwhelmed health workers rushed from patient to patient in makeshift tents in Sudan, trying to help even though they too had barely escaped the fall of El-Fasher to paramilitary forces.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

Overwhelmed by these exotic sights, this visitor completely overlooked the presence of small, shrew-like mammals—the very creatures whose descendants would, eventually, inherit the earth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

Overwhelmed by the commitments or mundanity of day-to-day life, while simultaneously unwilling or unable to voice their emotions, men often find it hard to cope.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2024

Overwhelmed by the number of ailing birds, the wildlife center has been erecting pup tents to use as pens, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2024

Overwhelmed judges tried to manage the proceedings with bench meetings while dozens of young men—most of whom were black—sat handcuffed in standard jail-issued orange jumpsuits in the front of the court.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• affected
• devastated
• moved
• overpowered