Overwhelming — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)wel-miŋ/ over·whelm·ing

Meaning & Definition of Overwhelming

Overwhelming (adjective)

  1. tending or serving to overwhelm; also, extreme, great

Overwhelming (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in irresistible, overpowering

    similar: irresistible, overpowering, catching, contagious, epidemic, infectious, spreading, palpable, perceptible, tangible, disarming, endearing, fetching, inviting, winning, winsome

  2. as in crushing

    similar: crushing, unacceptable, comfortless, hard, harsh, painful, uncomfortable, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, dreadful, excruciating, gruesome, harrowing, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrifying, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, tormenting, torturous, vile, wretched, acute, extreme, intense, piercing, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, obnoxious, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable
    opposite: endurable, sufferable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, acceptable, adequate, admissible, allowable, reasonable, satisfactory

  3. as in staggering, towering

    similar: cavernous, monolithic, staggering, stupendous, towering, august, formidable, grandiose, imposing, lofty, majestic, boundless, immeasurable, infinite, big, bulky, considerable, extensive, good, goodly, great, gross, handsome, hefty, hulking, largish, major, outsize, overgrown, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, voluminous, astronomical, Brobdingnagian, bumper, colossal, cosmic, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantesque, gigantic, grand, herculean, heroic, Himalayan, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, king-size, leviathan, mammoth, massive, mega, mighty, monster, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, oceanic, pharaonic, planetary, prodigious, super, super-duper, supersize, supersized, titanic, tremendous, vast, vasty, walloping, whacking, whopping
    opposite: bantam, bitty, diminutive, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, micro, microminiature, microscopic, midget, miniature, minuscule, minute, pocket, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, little, mini, petite, pint-size, puny, small, smallish, undersized, dinky, dwarfish, half-pint

Overwhelming (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

    "just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me"

    similar: crushing, devastating, flooring, grinding (down), oppressing, overcoming, overmastering, overpowering, prostrating, snowing under, swamping, whelming
    related: deluging, drowning, sinking, confuting, defeating, refuting, breaking, demoralizing, distressing, disturbing, rocking, shattering, staggering, throwing, unmanning, unnerving, upsetting

  2. to cover with a flood

    "that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley"

    similar: deluging, drowning, engulfing, flooding, gulfing, inundating, overflowing, submerging, submersing, swamping
    related: avalanching, smothering, overcoming, overrunning, flowing, flushing, gushing, pouring, sluicing, spouting, spurting, streaming, dousing, drenching, soaking, wetting
    opposite: draining
    near: dehydrating, drying, parching

Related Entry: Overwhelm (verb)

Overwhelm is a different word from Overwhelming. The synonyms below are for overwhelm, not for overwhelming.

  1. to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

    "just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me"

    similar: crush, devastate, floor, grind (down), oppress, overcome, overmaster, overpower, prostrate, snow under, swamp, whelm
    related: deluge, drown, sink, confute, defeat, refute, break, demoralize, distress, disturb, rock, shatter, stagger, throw, unman, unnerve, upset

  2. to cover with a flood

    "that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley"

    similar: deluge, drown, engulf, flood, gulf, inundate, overflow, submerge, submerse, swamp
    related: avalanche, smother, overcome, overrun, flow, flush, gush, pour, sluice, spout, spurt, stream, douse, drench, soak, wet
    opposite: drain
    near: dehydrate, dry, parch

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Overwhelming

The most common words with a similar meaning to Overwhelming:

irresistible, overpowering, catching, contagious, epidemic, infectious, spreading, palpable, perceptible, tangible, disarming, endearing, fetching, inviting, winning, winsome, crushing, unacceptable, comfortless, hard, harsh, painful, uncomfortable, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, unsupportable, appalling, dreadful, excruciating, gruesome, harrowing, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrifying, nightmarish, shocking

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Overwhelming

Words with the opposite meaning of Overwhelming:

endurable, sufferable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, acceptable, adequate, admissible, allowable, reasonable, satisfactory, bantam, bitty, diminutive, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, micro, microminiature, microscopic, midget, miniature, minuscule, minute, pocket, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny

Related Words for Overwhelming

sinking, confuting, defeating, refuting, breaking, demoralizing, distressing, disturbing, rocking, shattering, throwing, unmanning, unnerving, upsetting, avalanching, smothering, overrunning, flowing, flushing, gushing, pouring, sluicing, spouting, spurting, streaming, dousing, drenching, soaking, wetting

Near Antonyms of Overwhelming

dehydrating, drying, parching

Origin & Etymology of Overwhelming

First known use: 1567

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Overwhelming

Words & Phrases Containing Overwhelming

overwhelmingly

Frequently Asked Questions about Overwhelming

What does "Overwhelming" mean?

"Overwhelming" means tending or serving to overwhelm; also, extreme, great. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: tending or serving to overwhelm; also, extreme, great. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Overwhelming"?

Other words for "Overwhelming" include irresistible, overpowering, catching, contagious, epidemic, infectious, spreading and palpable. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Overwhelming" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Overwhelming"?

There are 191 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Overwhelming". Common alternatives include irresistible, overpowering, catching, contagious, epidemic, infectious, spreading, palpable, perceptible and tangible.

What is the opposite of "Overwhelming"?

Antonyms of "Overwhelming" include endurable, sufferable, supportable, sustainable, tolerable, livable, acceptable and adequate. Near antonyms include dehydrating, drying and parching.

How do you use "Overwhelming" in a sentence?

Examples of "Overwhelming" in a sentence: "just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me"; "that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley".

Is "Overwhelming" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Overwhelming" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Overwhelming" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Overwhelming" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Overwhelming"?

"Overwhelming" is pronounced /ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)wel-miŋ/ and divided into syllables as over·whelm·ing.