Skip to main content
overwhelming

overwhelming

423 4.4
Very strong in amount or feeling that is hard to deal with
  • adjective
  • /ˌoʊvərˈwɛlmɪŋ/
translation icon : abrumador
  • After receiving the news, she was overcome by an overwhelming sense of sadness.
  • an overwhelming majority
  • overwhelming evidence
  • overwhelming support

And I feel this overwhelming sense of peace.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The amount of misery and suffering in that part of the world seems so overwhelming.

  • And it's like, it can get overwhelming sometimes.

  • Do you guys get this overwhelming sense of death?

  • And I feel this overwhelming sense of peace.

  • So there are just simply overwhelming problems that they face.

  • But just overwhelming love and support here as well.

  • People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something.

  • The stress must be overwhelming.

  • You cannot appreciate the overwhelming honor that has been bestowed upon you.

  • Overall, there was an overwhelming tendency to rate similar behaviors of peers as conforming.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

incredible
vsoverwhelming
3.5

Very surprising or hard to believe

relates to actual intense force or amount that defeats resistance
massive
vsoverwhelming
940 2.9

Very large and impressive in scale

focuses more on intensity that makes coping or resisting hard
enormous
vsoverwhelming
842 2.1

Very large in size, amount, or effect

is about force or intensity that overwhelms people or systems
tremendous
vsoverwhelming
794 3.0

Very large or impressive

adds the idea of being too strong to resist or handle
vast
vsoverwhelming
721 2.1

Very large in size or amount

is about strength or intensity that makes coping difficult
intense
vsoverwhelming
573 3.7

A very strong feeling or quality you feel deeply

adds the sense of being too strong to resist or manage
devastating
vsoverwhelming
224 5.1

Causing very great damage or sadness

is about great intensity or amount rather than mainly harm
profound
vsoverwhelming
159 5.3

Very great and complete in size, amount, or effect

is more about very strong force rather than depth alone
immense
vsoverwhelming
141 3.7

Very large in size, amount, or degree

emphasizes powerful intensity rather than mere largeness
gigantic
vsoverwhelming
139 3.2

Very large, much bigger than normal

is about intense force or amount rather than physical size
colossal
vsoverwhelming
55 4.7

So large in size or amount that it causes great surprise

is less about admiration and more about overpowering intensity
untold
vsoverwhelming
52 4.8

A very large amount that cannot be counted or measured

stresses great magnitude rather than simply being uncountable
mind-blowing
vsoverwhelming
  • Informal
28 5.1

So surprising and impressive that it changes how you feel or think

focuses more on force or intensity that makes coping hard
staggering
vsoverwhelming
24 5.3

Very large and surprising in a way that shocks you

is about sheer force or amount rather than the shock effect
stupendous
vsoverwhelming
19 6.7

Very large or impressive in a way that amazes people

is about force or intensity that makes resisting difficult
overpowering
vsoverwhelming
18 4.6

Very strong and hard to resist, making you feel overwhelmed

is similarly strong but applies to amount or intensity generally
incalculable
vsoverwhelming
13 8.1

Too great to measure or count

focuses on intense magnitude that makes coping or resisting hard
unutterable
vsoverwhelming
  • Literature
1 8.9

Too great or strong to put into words

is measurable in intensity though still hard to resist or cope with
consuming
vsoverwhelming
5.4

So strong that it takes all your attention and energy

describes great force or amount that makes coping difficult
unexpressible
vsoverwhelming
8.4

So strong or deep that words cannot describe it

is about very great strength that makes resisting or coping difficult

Antonyms

104 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

How Strong

overwhelming
423 4.4
strong
1.0
considerable
305 4.6
noticeable
65 3.2
slight
594 1.2

Surface Forms

overwhelming positive

Morphology

overwhelming = overwhelm (transparent) = overwhelm + ing

Formed by the productive addition of '-ing' to the verb 'overwhelm'; the adjectival/participle meaning is predictable from the verb.

Etymology

Overwhelming comes from the parts over- ('too much') and whelm ('to cover' or 'flood'), so picture being covered by a large wave. So, something overwhelming is so strong or large that it is hard to resist or deal with.