whelmed

verb

past tense of whelm
as in overwhelmed
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the news so whelmed them that they were stunned into silence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 whelmed Of all the underwhelming parts of this underwhelming finale of an underwhelming season, the final immunity challenge did not leave me whelmed. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025 As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelmed
  1. overwhelmed
  2. devastated
Verb
  • The deluge stranded thousands at Soga Station and Narita Airport during Japan’s busy Bon holiday week, exposing sewer systems overwhelmed by rapid urbanization and prompting emergency evacuations and shelters across Chiba.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Despite this multi-layered surveillance system, Tuesday’s massive influx overwhelmed the filtration hardware, forcing operators to bring the reactors offline once again to safeguard the facilities.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelmed
Verb
  • Melissa Fresses, Maribel's sister, said she was devastated by the news.
    — Laura Fay, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Anny Liu of Altadena was introduced to Jackie and Shadow in January 2025 — the month the Palisades and Eaton fires devastated swaths of Los Angeles County.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastated

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Cite this Entry

“Whelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelmed. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on whelmed

Nglish: Translation of whelmed for Spanish Speakers

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