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Glite Dictionary
overpowering

overpowering

18 4.6
Very strong and hard to resist, making you feel overwhelmed
  • adjective
  • /ˌoʊvərˈpaʊərɪŋ/
translation icon : abrumador
  • In that moment of grief, the overpowering weight of loss enveloped him.
  • overpowering force
  • overpowering sense
  • overpowering love

This beautiful, overpowering feeling that you're feeling right now.

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Examples

  • The feeling of sadness was so overpowering that she couldn't help but cry.

  • The heat is overpowering and water in short supply.

  • The heat is overpowering and water in short supply.

  • I thought it was going to be overpowering, and it's not at all.

    Wilson (1944)

  • It's sweet, but it's not offensive or overpowering at all.

  • The heat is simply too overpowering.

    Hidden Figures (2016)

  • The only con for me though is it's overpowering scent.

    Julia Adams MUA

  • You're alone, and the feeling of loneliness is overpowering.

    Valley of the Dolls (1967)

  • The air is filled with an overpowering scent of summer leaves and pollen, and her head swims.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The aroma of the spices was overpowering, filling the entire kitchen.

Synonyms

strong
vsoverpowering
∞ 1.0

Very concentrated in taste or effect

implies being impossible or very hard to resist, not just intensity
overwhelming
vsoverpowering
423 4.4

Very strong in amount or feeling that is hard to deal with

is about being impossible to resist rather than general intensity
devastating
vsoverpowering
224 5.1

Causing very great damage or sadness

focuses on overwhelming strength itself rather than the damage caused
formidable
vsoverpowering
133 7.0

A person or thing that is very powerful and makes people feel respect and fear

refers to irresistible force rather than mainly causing fear or respect
oppressive
vsoverpowering
19 6.3

Heavy and uncomfortable, making people feel sad, worried, or tired

describes extreme force that cannot be resisted rather than lasting unease
overmastering
vsoverpowering
  • Literature
9.1

Too strong to be controlled

has identical meaning but differs in wording
supereffective
vsoverpowering
6.7

Very good at making something work much better than usual

emphasizes being impossible to resist rather than just extra effectiveness

Antonyms

weak
524 1.0

Not strong in body or muscles and easily tired

manageable
57 3.2

Easy to deal with

How Strong

overpowering
18 4.6
intense
573 3.7
strong
∞ 1.0
noticeable
65 3.2
mild
107 1.0

Surface Forms

overpowering positive

Morphology

overpowering = overpower (transparent) = over + power + ing

The verb 'overpower' (over + power) is a straightforward formation and adding '-ing' creates the adjectival/participle form with the expected meaning 'very strong; difficult to resist'.

Etymology

The word overpowering comes from over meaning 'too much' and power meaning 'strength'. So an overpowering feeling, force, or smell is like a strength that is too strong to resist.