OVERWHELMED Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

overwhelmed 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of overwhelmed

as in bewildered

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Dissimilar Words

overwhelmed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of overwhelm

as in devastated

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in flooded

to cover with a flood that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overwhelmed

Adjective

Cortiz said eight hospitals in Caracas have been forced to close, and the remaining hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and lack basic cleaning supplies such as bleach and disinfectant. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 30 June 2026 Eight days after Venezuela’s earthquakes, black smoke, mass graves and overwhelmed rescuers define La Guaira, even as the dramatic rescue of a man buried nearly a week offers fleeting hope. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Verb

Although a handful of viewers criticized the couple for renovating an old farmhouse, Moore says she's been overwhelmed by the kindness of people who have followed along from around the world. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 People’s power, exercised through democratic processes such as public hearings, ordinance revisions and elections, can be overwhelmed by the tech companies and aligned groups. — Lauren Mullenbach, The Conversation, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for overwhelmed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwhelmed

Adjective

Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?

— Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026

Definition of bewildered

Verb

Earlier that day, Contreras had broken down in tears while talking about the deadly earthquakes that devastated his native Venezuela.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Carr, who has spent decades documenting South Florida's Indigenous history, said the region's Native population had been devastated long before the American Revolution.

— Hank Tester, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of devastated

Verb

Through the risk of lightning, sticky humidity and a winding line filled with thousands of chanting fans, Argentine fans flooded Bayfront Park with a sea of blue jerseys.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
Social media was flooded with images and footage of guests making the pilgrimage to MSG.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Definition of flooded

Adjective

This staggered release marks a shift in Amazon MGM Studios' streaming strategy.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
That came on May 7 before a staggered series of price drops tempered by price-hike rebounds over the last seven weeks amid on-again and off-again peace talks in the Middle East.

— Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026

Definition of staggered

Verb

With no energy available to warm the planet to these temperatures, the team reasoned that the temperature must be a residual effect of prior warming either from being engulfed by the red giant or during an inward migration.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 July 2026
Polls show Democrats are the favorites to retake Congress heading into November, but the party is engulfed at the moment by a fierce debate about its ideologicl direction.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of engulfed

Adjective

And when Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte evened the score with a right footed shot from a difficult angle at the 59-minute mark, the stunned stadium went silent, minus two small spirited clots of Cape Verde fans in the East end zone seats.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
Fans jumped up and down after Folarin Balogun punched in what seemed to be the game’s first goal near the 31-minute mark, then expressed stunned disbelief when the striker was deemed offsides.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of stunned

Verb

Often the materials are crushed, milled, then reused directly on-site at the job where they were removed.

— Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 30 June 2026
But most of those indigenous sites are inaccessible to the public, or they have been buried and crushed under the foundations of new skyscrapers and development.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of crushed

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“Overwhelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwhelmed. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of overwhelmed

adjective

verb

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