1
as in overpowering
Related Words
Relevance
2
as in crushing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
3
as in staggering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in devastating
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in flooding
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
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Recent Examples of overwhelming
Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Pulling It All Together No single project on this list is overwhelming, and most can be completed over a weekend or two.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Any vines that are overwhelming a tree in this fashion need to be removed or drastically pruned.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overwhelming
Adjective
There is production design and a few props, but not to any overwhelming purpose, other than perhaps to suggest the house where a lady who loves rescue kitties might be thinking all these alternately independent and co-dependent thoughts about love and trust.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Pulling It All Together No single project on this list is overwhelming, and most can be completed over a weekend or two.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
Robby’s self-contempt and his fears of what the PTMC could become without him are overwhelming his character — and the show too.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Any vines that are overwhelming a tree in this fashion need to be removed or drastically pruned.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overwhelming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwhelming
Adjective
-
When the crew retracted the drill to replace its bit, an overpowering jet of oil fountained from the well.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even the laughs and smiles that Joe and Kate Keller issue are fleeting, a respite from the journey toward a more crushing reality.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The breadth of these ingredients’ potential forms and uses are simply staggering.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For this woman, devastating in her humanity and dignity throughout the four months of the extraordinary trial, who was propelled into becoming a global icon in the fight against the violence done to women, the time has now come to rebuild.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Philadelphia adjusted at the break, pushing fullbacks higher and flooding the midfield, and Charlotte had no response.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Just weeks after reopening, flooding due to rainfall forced the mine to close yet again.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Our selection of irresistible snackable foods includes mini mac and cheese cups, sticky buns, jumbo popovers, and more.—
Victoria Spencer,
Martha Stewart,
3 Apr. 2026
-
By the time Turner gave his paper in Chicago in 1893, the myth of the frontier already had an irresistible pull in American culture, a simple rhetorical trajectory that made white men and women feel proud of themselves and their past.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Killing dogs in the street became increasingly unacceptable, and rabies vaccines became available.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
-
To Hafley, that’s unacceptable.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But his epic project is a stupendous, oceanfront complex in Palm Beach.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Rinko Kikuchi is stupendous as a ballroom-dancing widow infatuated with her instructor.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overwhelming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwhelming. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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