as in overwhelmed
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
the news so whelmed them that they were stunned into silence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whelmed
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
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, The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2025
Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 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, The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelmed
Verb
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Many companies and industries are clearly overwhelmed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence—with a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology paper suggesting that 95% of generative AI pilot programs had failed among the dozens of companies the researchers surveyed.—
Giacomo Tognini,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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In my debut novel, Little Movements, the protagonist, Layla, is overwhelmed by these truths when she’s selected to be the choreographer-in-residence at a prestigious arts institution in rural Vermont.—
Lauren Morrow
September 9,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland said she was devastated and angry about the shooting.—
Katie Langford,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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June’s death in May 2003 left the music legend devastated.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelmed. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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