to overwhelm

Examples

• All

• I'm just feeling really overwhelmed, you know?

• Finally, it appears Clifton was simply overwhelmed by the many changes taking place around him.

  Academic text (1992)

• I mean, yes, I was overwhelmed at the idea.

• You, you, you described it as feeling overwhelmed, right?

• OK, when you feel overwhelmed, what do you do to support yourself?

• So as much as I was overwhelmed, I'm starting to move on.

  Evan Carmichael

• And then I'm still so overwhelmed by how much we get out of them.

• So you are stressed, overwhelmed by fame and social media.

• As readers, we need to get to know the characters on the page without being overwhelmed with backstory.

  Academic text (2011)

• After hearing the bad news, she felt completely overwhelmed and couldn't stop crying.

Synonyms

P

to press

vsto overwhelm

139 5.9

Weigh heavily on someone, causing worry or distress

implies a stronger total emotional or mental overpowering rather than ongoing pressure

D

to drown

vsto overwhelm

135 3.5

Be unable to cope with a large amount of something, for example work

focuses more on emotional overpowering rather than just quantity of problems

O

to overcome

vsto overwhelm

86 4.1

Be so affected by a strong feeling that you cannot control yourself

is used more for causing inability to cope across emotional or mental states

O

to overtake

vsto overwhelm

29 5.1

To suddenly have a strong feeling that you cannot control

is similar but includes gradual or sustained overwhelming, not only sudden hits

O

to overpower

vsto overwhelm

18 5.7

To feel unable to think and act because of a very strong feeling such as fear or a strong smell

is broader, often causing emotional collapse and long inability to cope

O

to overburden

vsto overwhelm

12 5.9

To give someone too much work or responsibility

is broader, often describing emotional or mental inability to cope, not only work

W

to weigh down

vsto overwhelm

9 4.9

Make someone feel sad or worried

is often more intense, causing inability to cope rather than steady sadness

S

to sweep over

vsto overwhelm

8 4.6

A strong feeling that affects someone suddenly

is broader and can mean long lasting emotional or mental overpowering

D

to deluge

vsto overwhelm

5 7.4

To give someone so much work or so many requests that they cannot cope

emphasizes emotional or mental overpowering rather than only too much quantity

S

to stress

vsto overwhelm

4 3.4

To make someone or something work near its limits

is about causing overpowering emotional or mental collapse rather than testing limits

O

to overtax

vsto overwhelm

2 5.6

Put too much strain on someone or something so they cannot cope

is stronger, implying being emotionally or mentally overpowered to the point of collapse

O

to overstress

vsto overwhelm

1 4.4

To put too much strain on the body or mind

is more about being emotionally or mentally overwhelmed rather than self strain

O

to overstretch

vsto overwhelm

1 5.5

To push someone or something beyond what they can manage

focuses more on emotional or mental overpowering than physical exceeding of limits

O

to overmaster

vsto overwhelm

• Literature

1 9.1

To defeat and control someone or something completely

is more about emotional or mental overpowering and loss of coping ability

W

to whelm

vsto overwhelm

9.9

To feel a very strong emotion that takes control of you

is the general term for causing extreme emotional or mental inability to cope

S

to swamp someone with tasks

vsto overwhelm

• Informal

6.3

To give someone more work than they can do

covers emotional or mental overpowering beyond simply having too much work

Antonyms

C

to comfort

172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

How Overwhelmed

to devastate

221 4.9

to crush

386 4.7

to overwhelm

164 4.4

to unsettle

7 4.9

to upset

362 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology