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

The big issue is that Robert, despite being an exceptionally capable superhero, gets totally overwhelmed in fight against Shrouds goons in the villain’s factory-like lair, losing his suit and the (likely important) power source in the process. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025

Even parents who love being around their kids all the time can get overwhelmed. —Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025

Feeling overwhelmed and disoriented, Doug fled his home during the night and entered a neighbor’s residence two doors down, where he was taken into custody by police. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025

During that time, particles cast off from that ancient body collide with our planet at speeds of up to 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second), burning up in a magnificent display as they're overwhelmed by the friction of atmospheric entry. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1