Synonyms of overwhelming

overwhelming 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in overpowering

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overpowering
• irresistible
• irresistable
• infectious
• spreading
• epidemic
• tangible
• contagious
• perceptible
• catching
• palpable
• winning
• endearing
• inviting
• fetching
• disarming
• winsome

2

as in crushing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crushing
• unacceptable
• painful
• unbearable
• uncomfortable
• intolerable
• harsh
• unendurable
• appalling
• insufferable
• intense
• horrifying
• extreme
• unsupportable
• shocking
• terrible
• horrible
• insupportable
• nightmarish
• gruesome
• horrendous
• hard
• harrowing
• horrid
• excruciating
• dreadful
• acute
• torturous
• sickening
• obnoxious
• repulsive
• vile
• disgusting
• revolting
• repugnant
• comfortless
• distasteful
• nauseating
• loathsome
• unspeakable
• offensive
• odious
• heinous
• noxious
• wretched
• piercing
• tormenting
• grewsome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tolerable
• sustainable
• acceptable
• supportable
• adequate
• endurable
• livable
• reasonable
• sufferable
• satisfactory
• allowable
• admissible
• liveable

3

as in staggering

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggering
• stupendous
• formidable
• monolithic
• cavernous
• imposing
• grandiose
• immeasurable
• majestic
• towering
• infinite
• considerable
• lofty
• boundless
• extensive
• substantial
• tremendous
• enormous
• immense
• august
• sizeable
• major
• voluminous
• great
• vast
• outsized
• huge
• sizable
• bulky
• big
• massive
• gross
• hefty
• oversized
• gigantic
• outsize
• colossal
• overgrown
• gargantuan
• prodigious
• goodly
• herculean
• monumental
• mighty
• handsome
• humongous
• mountainous
• astronomical
• largish
• oversize
• tidy
• monstrous
• super
• cosmic
• mammoth
• giant
• monster
• heroic
• titanic
• whopping
• good
• galactic
• oceanic
• planetary
• astronomic
• cosmical
• humungous
• elephantine
• mega
• grand
• hulking
• cyclopean
• vasty
• pharaonic
• jumbo
• heroical
• Himalayan
• supersized
• gigantesque
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• king-size
• whacking
• leviathan
• walloping
• supersize
• king-sized
• super-duper

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tiny
• minuscule
• infinitesimal
• diminutive
• microscopic
• little bitty
• small
• bitty
• microscopical
• miniature
• pocket
• little
• micro
• wee
• teeny
• teensy
• puny
• minute
• Lilliputian
• pygmy
• smallish
• undersized
• midget
• petite
• undersize
• mini
• teeny-weeny
• teensy-weensy
• bantam
• microminiature
• dinky
• dwarfish
• pint-sized
• pint-size
• half-pint

overwhelming

2 of 2

verb

present participle of overwhelm

1

as in devastating

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

2

as in flooding

to cover with a flood

that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flooding
• engulfing
• drowning
• inundating
• overflowing
• swamping
• submerging
• overcoming
• deluging
• gulfing
• flushing
• smothering
• submersing
• flowing
• gushing
• avalanching
• overrunning
• wetting
• pouring
• spurting
• streaming
• sluicing
• drenching
• spouting
• soaking
• dousing
• dowsing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• draining
• drying
• dehydrating
• parching

Examples of overwhelming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Haitian? California The 2024 doom scroll is overwhelming. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

However, with so many ideas to fit into a limited space, designing an open-concept area can often be overwhelming. —Kelsey Mulvey, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2024

The compassion for her has been quite overwhelming. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024

The bottom line is that starting a side hustle doesn’t have to be overwhelming. —Melissa Houston, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024