OVERWHELMED Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

overwhelmed 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of overwhelmed

as in bewildered

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Dissimilar Words

overwhelmed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of overwhelm

as in devastated

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in flooded

to cover with a flood that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overwhelmed

Adjective

The duo think they’re headed to the heavenly afterlife only to arrive at the office of the Devil (voiced by Culkin), who seems overwhelmed by his job. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026 Perez’s mom has been incredibly touched and honestly overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026

Verb

The sheer number of people and the late summer heat could have easily overwhelmed her, but she was doggedly focused. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 That scenario could harm creditors who are owed money by Camp Mystic, including the parents who have sued the Hill County retreat for their daughters’ deaths in a historic flash flood that overwhelmed the property last summer. — San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overwhelmed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwhelmed

Adjective

But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
Five o’clock Saturday, the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is fist-pumping a half-bewildered but fully enthused home crowd.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Verb

Healthcare workers who’d turned up for the event described patients choosing between affording medication or food, or how they themselves had been financially devastated by a medical crisis.

— Kate Wells, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Ji-hye’s punishment Ji-hye is devastated at the arrest of her son, and furiously tries to confess to the crime herself.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of devastated

Verb

Luhring Augustine moved into the 3,500-square-foot space in September 2020, as galleries flooded the neighborhood, lured by the low rents spawned by the Covid-19 crisis.

— News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026
Clearly he hasn’t been flooded with offers since that accolade, so his agent has set him up with Lady Isabella, who claims to have a Netflix commission for a bio-doc about her life.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of flooded

Adjective

Two years later, Haitians were supposed to return to the polls to elect another tier of the staggered chamber along with lawmakers in the 119-member Lower Chamber of Deputies.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Other nations, which do not, are elected by the General Assembly rotate in and out every two years on a staggered basis.

— Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of staggered

Verb

Video released Wednesday morning captured the moments when a Kansas City Police Department detective and a Clay County Sheriff’s deputy rescued a man from a pickup truck that was engulfed in flames.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.

— Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of engulfed

Adjective

As Bijan Robinson raced down the sideline and the rest of his Falcons teammates sprinted in pursuit, a mixture of an eerie hush and a stunned buzz fell over Caesars Superdome from a crowd still not entirely settled in its seats.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026
The record closed out the 13-song set, which ended in a staggering high note from Spiro and a standing ovation from a stunned ACL audience.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stunned

Verb

The revolution has been crushed, tens of thousands remain imprisoned, and economic hardship has broken the backs of Egyptians.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
The Brewers won game one 3-2 in controversial fashion after France crushed a towering fly ball that hit the American Family Field roof and fell harmlessly into the glove of outfielder Jackson Chourio.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of crushed

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“Overwhelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwhelmed. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of overwhelmed

adjective

verb

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