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- DictionaryO·ver·whelm·ing/ˌōvərˈ(h)welmiNG/
adjective
- 1. very great in amount: "the overwhelming majority of the comments were positive"
Underwhelm means to fail to impress, especially when that is the expectation. Underwhelming, then, means unimpressive or disappointing. Both words also have other adjective forms: overwhelmed (overcome to the point of not being able to manage) and underwhelmed (unimpressed or disappointed).
1. : upset, overthrow. The tornado overwhelmed many mobile homes. 2. a. : to cover over completely : submerge. The city was overwhelmed by the flooding caused by the hurricane. b. : to overcome by superior force or numbers. The city was overwhelmed by the invading army. c. : to overpower in thought or feeling. overwhelmed with grief.
C1. very great or very large: She said how much she appreciated the overwhelming generosity of the public in responding to the appeal. An overwhelming majority has voted in favor of the proposal. More examples. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
overwhelming. adjective. /ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋ/. /ˌəʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/. very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react. The evidence against him was overwhelming. The overwhelming majority of those present were in favour of the plan. an overwhelming sense of loss.
Overwhelm most commonly means to cause to be overcome with emotion as a result of an amount of something (work, stress, etc.) that’s just too much to handle. (It can also mean to overpower or physically cover beneath a mass of something). Underwhelm means to fail to impress, especially when that is the expectation.
adjective. /ˌoʊvərˈwɛlmɪŋ/ very great or very strong; so powerful that you cannot resist it or decide how to react The evidence against him was overwhelming. The overwhelming majority of those present were in favor of the plan. an overwhelming sense of loss She had the almost overwhelming desire to tell him the truth.
to defeat someone or something by using a lot of force: Government troops have overwhelmed the rebels and seized control of the capital. The boxer relied on his power, pace, and pressure to overwhelm opponents. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Winning and defeating.
