overwhelmed

adjective

over·​whelmed ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)welmd 

1

: overcome by force or numbers

Some jurisdictions are so overwhelmed that they are experimenting with routing school-children into specially designed courts that would keep first-time offenders from being saddled with an arrest record.

—Gary Fields and John R. Emshwiller

Only three Coast Guard rescue helicopters had managed to get into the air, and each was already overwhelmed by dozens of calls for help.

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

"We were overwhelmed," said John Robinson, the Rams' coach. "Clearly dominated."

—Paul Zimmerman

2

: completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling

When he first appeared in full regalia, I was overwhelmed.

—Jane Davison

Suddenly he felt overwhelmed by a wash of terror.

—Holly Black

He finds that the institutions that might compensate for what overwhelmed parents are unable to do are themselves undermined by stingy public policies.

—Lisbeth B. Schorr

Examples of overwhelmed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, spreading out tasks and to-dos will make everyone feel less overwhelmed. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 6 July 2026

Post-pandemic layoffs eliminated millions of roles, yet survivors report feeling no less overwhelmed and no more purposeful. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Cortiz said eight hospitals in Caracas have been forced to close, and the remaining hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and lack basic cleaning supplies such as bleach and disinfectant. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 30 June 2026

Eight days after Venezuela’s earthquakes, black smoke, mass graves and overwhelmed rescuers define La Guaira, even as the dramatic rescue of a man buried nearly a week offers fleeting hope. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1