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Synonyms

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.


verb

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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of overwhelmed

overwhelm ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

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.

These money managers may help if you’re feeling overwhelmed helping your parents pay their bills.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

In a statement Coffi Lab, which has since removed the restriction, said that it was overwhelmed with pupils spending long periods of time there, often without buying anything and bringing food from other vendors.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Kitchen workers were overwhelmed preparing mountains of shrimp.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

The consequences for workers can be deadly, with regular reports of fatigue, dizziness and nausea -- signs of heat stress, when the body's natural cooling systems are overwhelmed.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Luc asked me, but I was so overwhelmed I could think of only one.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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