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Glite Dictionary
🌊 To overpower 💧 To cover completely
to whelm

to whelm

9.9
To feel a very strong emotion that takes control of you
  • verb
  • /wɛlm/
translation icon : abrumar
  • As the storm approached, waves began to whelm the small boat.

But then I found one person whose passion whelmed me.

Examples

  • The news of her promotion whelmed her with joy and excitement.

  • For the way every moment, every experience, is in effect a wave that crashes raggedly over and past us in a whelming and sensuous way.

  • He felt whelmed by the overwhelming support from his friends during tough times.

Synonyms

to overwhelm
vsto whelm
164 4.4

Make someone feel very strong emotions so they cannot think clearly

focuses on overpowering or engulfing rather than on inability to cope
to drown
vsto whelm
135 3.5

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

focuses on overpowering or engulfing by force rather than quantity overload
to overcome
vsto whelm
86 4.1

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

implies being surrounded or forcibly affected rather than merely losing resistance
to engulf
vsto whelm
40 5.1

To cover something completely and suddenly, often by fire or water

stresses emotional or forceful overpowering rather than physical covering
to overtake
vsto whelm
29 5.1

To suddenly have a strong feeling that you cannot control

focuses more on surrounding or engulfing than only sudden onset
to overpower
vsto whelm
18 5.7

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

focuses more on surrounding or engulfing rather than blocking thought
to weigh down
vsto whelm
9 4.9

Make someone feel sad or worried

relates to sudden overpowering or engulfing, not gradual emotional burden
to sweep over
vsto whelm
8 4.6

A strong feeling that affects someone suddenly

leans toward surrounding or engulfing rather than only sudden force
to sweep away
vsto whelm
7 4.6

To feel very strong emotions that you cannot control

emphasizes surrounding or strong force rather than the carried away motion
to deluge
vsto whelm
5 7.4

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

is about emotional or forceful engulfing, not just large quantities
to spill over
vsto whelm
3 5.3

To feel an emotion so strongly that you show it openly

means overpowering or surrounding rather than expressing feelings outwardly
to hit like a tidal wave
vsto whelm
7.3

To suddenly feel a very strong emotion that you cannot control

means surrounding or forcefully taking over rather than only vivid imagery

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to liberate
104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Overwhelming

to devastate
221 4.9
to overpower
33 3.8
to overwhelm
164 4.4
to whelm
9.9
to unsettle
7 4.9
to disturb
183 2.1

Surface Forms

whelm infinitive
whelmed past
whelmed past participle
whelming present participle
whelms third person singular

Etymology

Whelm comes from an old word meaning 'to cover' or 'bury', and you can see the same idea in overwhelm (made of over- + whelm), which means to cover completely. So to be whelmed by strong feelings is like being flooded or covered by emotion.