onslaught

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈɑnslɔt/ UK /ˈɒnslɔːt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a fierce or violent attack, or an overwhelming quantity of something

The town braced for the onslaught of the approaching storm.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a fierce or violent attack,... assault attack offensive onset barrage blitz charge bombardment

Opposites

retreat defense withdrawal

Word family

Related forms slaughter onset slay

Etymology

Probably from Middle Dutch 'aenslag' ('attack', literally 'a striking on'), from 'aen' ('on') plus 'slag' ('a blow'); the spelling was later assimilated to English 'slaught' (slaughter).

aenslag Middle Dutch

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# onslaught

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɑnslɔt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɒnslɔːt/

## Meanings
1. a fierce or violent attack, or an overwhelming quantity of something

## Examples
- The town braced for the onslaught of the approaching storm.

## Synonyms
- assault
- attack
- offensive
- onset
- barrage
- blitz
- charge
- bombardment

## Antonyms
- retreat
- defense
- withdrawal

## Related Forms
- slaughter
- onset
- slay

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aenslag

## Etymology
Probably from Middle Dutch 'aenslag' ('attack', literally 'a striking on'), from 'aen' ('on') plus 'slag' ('a blow'); the spelling was later assimilated to English 'slaught' (slaughter).

## AI Etymology
Onslaught is probably from Middle Dutch 'aenslag' ('attack', literally 'a striking on'), from 'aen' ('on') plus 'slag' ('a blow'); the spelling was later assimilated to English 'slaught' (slaughter). Important recorded forms include aenslag (Middle Dutch). Its earlier history remains partly uncertain, so the etymological chain is best treated cautiously. In current use it covers a fierce or violent attack, or an overwhelming quantity of something. The wider family includes related words such as slaughter, onset, and slay.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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