inundated
Americanadjective
-
flooded.
Desperate people in the inundated areas prayed for rescue even as the waters kept rising.
-
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.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inundated
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.
Vocabulary lists containing inundated
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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This Week in Words: January 6 - 12, 2018
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lately, I’ve been inundated by viral foods and trends, whether they’re on the Internet or formally explained to me in press emails.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Toxic waste inundated homes and fields in a spill over a year ago.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
The family’s attorney, Robert Glassman, said that, since taking on the case, his firm, Panish Shea Ravipudi, has been inundated with calls about bullying at LAUSD.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
"In comes Shaquille with bodyguards, friends, coaches, trainers - I was just inundated with people," says McKechnie.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Odessa established itself as a distribution point for oil field equipment and experienced more growth in a month than it had in ten years, inundated by men who were called simply boomers.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
