overwhelmed

over·whelmed
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UK/ˌəʊvəˈwɛlmd/UK/ˌəʊvəˈʍɛlmd/US/ˌoʊvɚˈwɛlmd/US/ˌoʊvɚˈʍɛlmd/

adjective

Emotionally overpowered.

“completely overwhelmed”

OriginEnglish overwhelm ← Middle English overwhelmen ← Old English *hwealmnian? →
Less commonScrabble 23
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Meanings

overwhelmed1

adjectiveoverwhelmed (comparative more overwhelmed, superlative most overwhelmed)

comparative more overwhelmed · superlative most overwhelmed

  1. Emotionally overpowered.

    completely overwhelmed

    2 more examples

    emotionally overwhelmed

    She was overwhelmed with gratitude.

    1. oftenCarrying a metaphorical burden greater than one can comfortably handle.

      He felt overwhelmed by the workload.

overwhelmed2

verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of overwhelm

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
emotionalflabbergastedoverladenoverwroughtthunderstruck

Origin

overwhelmed · adjective

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  7. Proto-Germanic*kʷolpós
  8. Proto-Germanic*hwalbazder.?
  9. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  10. Proto-Germanic*kʷólpo-
  11. Proto-Germanic*hwalbąder.?
  12. Old Englishhwealf
  13. Old English*hwealfnian
  14. Old English*hwealmnian?
  15. Middle Englishwhelmen
  16. Middle Englishoverwhelmen
  17. Englishoverwhelm
  18. Englishoverwhelmed

From overwhelm + -ed.

Full word history & related roots →

overwhelmed · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  7. Proto-Germanic*kʷolpós
  8. Proto-Germanic*hwalbazder.?
  9. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  10. Proto-Germanic*kʷólpo-
  11. Proto-Germanic*hwalbąder.?
  12. Old Englishhwealf
  13. Old English*hwealfnian
  14. Old English*hwealmnian?
  15. Middle Englishwhelmen
  16. Middle Englishoverwhelmen
  17. Englishoverwhelm
  18. Englishoverwhelmed

From overwhelm + -ed.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

overwhelmed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelmed

MLA

“overwhelmed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelmed. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overwhelmed,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelmed.

Source: overwhelmed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.