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Glite Dictionary
🌊 A flood 📧 A flood of things
inundation

inundation

1 7.2
A very large number of things that arrive at the same time
  • noun
  • /ˌɪnʌnˈdeɪʃən/
: inundación
  • Unfortunately, the admirable goal of the organizers to challenge preconceptions and place Africa within an international scene fell short as a result of the inundation of Africa-related programming.

She says, personally, I do not believe any hysterical talk of world inundation by any people, Slavic or Chinese or Japanese.

Examples

  • An inundation of information flooded my inbox after I subscribed to the newsletter.

  • A fallout of the app bang is the inundation of the market with millions of apps.

    Blog text (27)

  • We can explain inundation levels once we have their attention.

    Blog text (30)

  • How much will be lost in the impending inundation is anyone's guess.

    Academic text (2006)

  • According to Pion-Berlin, "an inundation of reforms may overwhelm the military and cause resentment."

    Academic text (1997)

  • When educators want students to use the Internet, they are allowed to be frustrated when the process is hampered by the inundation of pop-up ads.

    Academic text (2003)

  • American ideological and political influences can also be seen from surveys that reveal the inundation of Western ideas and values on Chinese campuses during the 1980s.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Players know the story: The American video game market has been in a crash since 1983, largely due to the inundation of poor titles for the Atari 2600 console that saturated consumers, leading to a stark drop in demand.

    Blog text (28)

  • The city faced an inundation of complaints from residents about the new traffic laws.

  • The concert received an inundation of ticket requests, far exceeding the seating capacity.

Synonyms

surge
vsinundation
180 4.2

A sudden big rise in amount or number

is about many items occurring at once rather than a rising intensity
flood
vsinundation
82 2.4

A very large number of things that arrive suddenly

is about any overwhelming amount occurring at once, not only sudden excesses
avalanche
vsinundation
24 5.1

A sudden large number of messages or requests that arrive at once

is the general idea of many items occurring at once, not only huge bursts
torrent
vsinundation
16 4.4

A large sudden flow of words or feelings from someone

describes an overwhelming number arriving at once without forceful or emotional focus
deluge
vsinundation
10 6.8

A very large amount of something that arrives at once

is a general term for an overwhelming amount happening at once
overabundance
vsinundation
5 5.7

Too much of something that is not needed

focuses on many items occurring at once, not only extra quantity
superabundance
vsinundation
1 7.9

A very large amount of something that is more than needed

is the sudden overwhelming arrival of many things, not just excess in general

How Overwhelming

avalanche
24 5.1
deluge
10 6.8
inundation
1 7.2
to flood
156 1.0
flow
343 2.3
to trickle
81 3.4

Surface Forms

inundation singular
inundations plural

Morphology

inundation = inundate (semi-transparent) = inund + ation

Formed from the verb 'inundate' + '-ation', but this sense is a metaphorical extension meaning 'an overwhelming amount', so the relation is inferable but not purely literal for all learners.

Etymology

The word inundation comes from Latin parts in- 'into' and unda 'wave'. Think of a huge wave of people or messages coming in, so inundation means an overwhelming number or amount of things.