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Glite Dictionary
📧 A flood of things 🌊 A flood
inundation

inundation

1 7.2
A very large number of things that arrive at the same time
  • noun
  • /ˌɪnʌnˈdeɪʃən/
translation icon : 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
132 4.2

A sudden big rise in amount or number

is about many items occurring at once rather than a rising intensity
flood
vsinundation
75 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
36 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
17 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
8 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
7 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
36 5.1
deluge
8 6.8
inundation
1 7.2
to flood
176 1.0
flow
307 2.3
to trickle
70 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.