overwhelming

adjective

over·​whelm·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)wel-miŋ 

: tending or serving to overwhelm

overwhelming force

overwhelming evidence

also : extreme, great

overwhelming indifference

an overwhelming majority

Examples of overwhelming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The financial logic of returning, once sanctions permit, is overwhelming. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Today’s guardrails are designed to absorb or redirect collisions coming from angles of less than twenty-five degrees, as the overwhelming majority of guardrail crashes do. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

His strong command and deep arsenal compensate for the lack of an overwhelming offspeed pitch or exceptional velocity. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Where kids and parents can 'reset' For parents of medically fragile or terminally ill children, the constant demands of care, both physical and emotional, can be overwhelming. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

overwhelming

adjective

over·​whelm·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈhwel-miŋ 

-wel-

: great sense 4, extreme

an overwhelming response

overwhelmingly adverb