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

While most of the coding issues may be minor, their sheer volume has amplified the risk that smaller software developers will become overwhelmed with reports of bugs such as the one Mythos found.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

In the post he thanked the many people who had helped him with his MND and said he was overwhelmed by their generosity.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

A medical source who did not wish to be identified told AFP that the hospital was overwhelmed.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

I feel overwhelmed by all the advice online.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Most people didn’t understand how what amounted to a two-decade boom in the bond market had overwhelmed everything else.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• affected
• devastated
• moved
• overpowered