overwhelming
adjective
- overwhelm
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌəʊvəˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/ / /ˌoʊvɚˈ(h)wɛlmɪŋ/ / [ˌoːʋaˈwɛlmɪŋ]
adj
Etymology: By surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing.
- Overpowering, staggering, or irresistibly strong.
“The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades.”
“It is this stretch which provides what is perhaps the most staggering scenic prospect of all; the impression made on the mind by the overwhelming height of the Eiger, towering over the train, is almost impossible to describe.”
- Very great or intense.
- Extreme.
noun
Etymology: By surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing.
- A situation of being overwhelmed.
“They have centuries of premodern experience in coping with being overwhelmed in multiple ways—not only by God, but also by other overwhelmings that have always been part of the human condition, such as disease, famine, war […]”
verb
Etymology: By surface analysis, overwhelm + -ing.
- present participle and gerund of overwhelm