overwhelmed

adjective

over·​whelmed ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)welmd 

1

: overcome by force or numbers

Some jurisdictions are so overwhelmed that they are experimenting with routing school-children into specially designed courts that would keep first-time offenders from being saddled with an arrest record.

—Gary Fields and John R. Emshwiller

Only three Coast Guard rescue helicopters had managed to get into the air, and each was already overwhelmed by dozens of calls for help.

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

"We were overwhelmed," said John Robinson, the Rams' coach. "Clearly dominated."

—Paul Zimmerman

2

: completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling

When he first appeared in full regalia, I was overwhelmed.

—Jane Davison

Suddenly he felt overwhelmed by a wash of terror.

—Holly Black

He finds that the institutions that might compensate for what overwhelmed parents are unable to do are themselves undermined by stingy public policies.

—Lisbeth B. Schorr

Examples of overwhelmed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The person who's overwhelmed, overworked, or under extreme stress. —Jodie Cook, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

The government had not stockpiled medicine or warned medical professionals before doing so, and hospitals were overwhelmed as infections skyrocketed. —Vivian Wang, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2025

The feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has become so widespread and has had so many ramifications that many in the golf world are feeling overwhelmed by the issue. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025

Eerie streets in New York and overwhelmed hospitals in Milan came as heart-wrenching scenes. —Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1