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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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
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
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
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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In the early morning of July 4, 2025, flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that overwhelmed the Guadalupe River swept away dozens of girls at the historic camp.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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However, the scale of the programming often overwhelmed the logistics.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edison’s aging transmission lines probably sparked the January 2025 fire that devastated west Altadena, a historically Black community of 1960s middle-class homebuyers.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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This practice has contaminated farms, wells and food supplies in states across the country, often leaving farmers financially devastated and communities scrambling for clean drinking water.—
Peter Blair,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelmed. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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