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sensory overload

American

[sen-suh-ree oh-ver-lohd] / ˈsɛn sə ri ˈoʊ vərˌloʊd /

noun

Physiology, Medicine/Medical.

a condition of being overwhelmed by an excessive amount of such stimuli as noise, activity, the company of emotional people, etc..

An anxiety disorder like PTSD can make sensory overload especially easy to trigger.

Etymology

Origin of sensory overload

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

See Examples For:

sensory overload

The borough’s “Backyard Explorers Microschool” promises preschoolers “a place where they can get away from the sensory overload and just play freely.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The result is a raucous, interactive, sensory overload.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Without the time and space to "level himself" following sensory overload, she said he would not be able to access rides.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Along with sensory overload and ravenous hunger, I felt something unexpected: a sense of déjà vu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

The hood was a complete sensory overload for me, but within the chaos there was order, a system, a social hierarchy based on where you lived.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023