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

Dolly Parton spoke about becoming overwhelmed with both joy and grief after appearing at a special parade at Dollywood in the weeks after the death of her husband, Carl Dean. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025

Martech Overload And The Utilization Gap Your team is overwhelmed with logins, dashboards and tools that only seem to add complexity to your workflow instead of solving problems—sound familiar? —Richard Jones, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Instead of getting overwhelmed by how much is changing, try to trust the process. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025

Key Takeaways Whining is usually a sign that young children are tired, hungry, overwhelmed, or seeking attention. —Debby Waldman, Parents, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1