Overwhelming

How to spell overwhelming

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce overwhelming

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overwhelming mean?

1. adjectiveSo great in amount, force, or effect that it cannot easily be resisted or dealt with.

Overwhelming in a sentence

• The new manager faced an overwhelming workload during her first month.

• The proposal passed by an overwhelming majority of votes.

Where does overwhelming come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The heart of this word is the old verb 'whelm', which in Middle English meant to turn something upside down so as to cover it, and especially to engulf or submerge it under water. It descends from Old English roots related to 'hwelfan', meaning to overturn or cover over, and it is closely tied to the word 'whelve', which described capsizing a vessel. By the 1300s English speakers had reinforced 'whelm' with the prefix 'over-', meaning completely or beyond, producing 'overwhelm', literally to cover something over entirely, as a flood buries the land. From that vivid image of being submerged came the figurative sense of being crushed or swamped by emotion, work, or sheer numbers. The present participle 'overwhelming' settled into use as an adjective meaning so great that it overpowers, and the silent flow from 'whelm' explains the easily forgotten 'h' tucked after the 'w'.

How the word is built

• over- (completely, beyond)
• whelm (to cover or submerge)
• -ing (adjective/present participle suffix)