overwhelming

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌoʊvɚˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/ UK /ˌəʊvəˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #7351

Meanings

1

adj
So great in number or strength that it cannot be resisted or argued with.

The proposal was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.
2

adj
Very strong or intense, especially as a feeling.

She felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the exam was finally over.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · so great in number or... overpowering

2 adj · very strong or intense,... big

More ravishing sweeping

Opposites

underwhelming

Word family

Derived forms overwhelminglyoverwhelmingnesssuperoverwhelming

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

overwhelming joy
happiness so intense that it is difficult to contain

Adjective + noun

Etymology

By surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# overwhelming

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌoʊvɚˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌəʊvəˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 7351

## Meanings
1. So great in number or strength that it cannot be resisted or argued with.
2. Very strong or intense, especially as a feeling.

## Examples
- The proposal was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.
- She felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the exam was finally over.

## Synonyms
- ravishing
- sweeping

## Antonyms
- underwhelming

## Derived Forms
- overwhelmingly
- overwhelmingness
- superoverwhelming

## Etymology
By surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing.

## AI Etymology
Overwhelming by surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing. Modern senses include so great in number or strength that it cannot be resisted or argued with and very strong or intense, especially as a feeling. The wider word family includes derivatives such as overwhelmingly, overwhelmingness, and superoverwhelming.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown