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

But in those times of difficulty, Prasad no longer feels as overwhelmed. —Laura Kwerel, NPR, 26 May 2025

Many health and nutrition centers have been damaged or evacuated; those that remain open are overwhelmed. —Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Many are undertreated, overwhelmed, and desperate for help. —Lynya Floyd, Allure, 23 May 2025

The mass-prosecution effort, which included the administration’s controversial family-separation policy, was short lived and quickly overwhelmed federal courts along the border. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1