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Overwhelm is a transitive verb that refers to the act of inundating someone or something with an excessive amount of something, thereby making them feel powerless or incapable of coping. It pertains to the feeling of being completely overcome or overpowered by a situation, emotion, or task.
When one is overwhelmed, they may experience a sense of being swamped or burdened by an extraordinary amount of work, responsibilities, or information. This can lead to a feeling of being unable to manage or successfully accomplish the tasks at hand. Moreover, overwhelm can arise from emotional or psychological overload, manifesting as intense feelings of anxiety, stress, fear, or even joy.
In the realm of physical environments, overwhelm can describe a sensation of being engulfed or surrounded by an excessive quantity of stimuli, sensations, or elements. This can occur in noisy, crowded places or when one is bombarded with various sensory inputs simultaneously.
Furthermore, overwhelm can also denote an overpowering force or effect that overtakes someone or something. It implies that the magnitude, intensity, or impact of a particular situation or event is so great that it surpasses one's ability to cope or comprehend fully.
Overall, overwhelm captures the notion of feeling deeply, and possibly negatively, affected by an overwhelming and uncontrollable circumstance, either external or internal, that leaves one feeling submerged, incapacitated, or utterly at a loss.
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To crush with something that covers or embraces the whole; to submerge or immerse; to overpower or subdue.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word overwhelm originated from the Middle English term whelmen, which meant to overturn. It was derived from the Old English word hwelfan or whelven with the same meaning. Whelmen was formed by combining the prefix ofer- meaning over and the verb whelmen. Eventually, whelmen evolved into overwhelm in the 14th century, maintaining a similar sense of overturning or covering completely.
CONDITIONAL PERFECT
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CONDITIONAL PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
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would have been overwhelming
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CONDITIONAL PRESENT
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CONDITIONAL PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
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FUTURE
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FUTURE CONTINUOUS
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FUTURE PERFECT
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FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
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IMPERATIVE
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PAST CONTINUOUS
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PAST PARTICIPLE
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PAST PERFECT
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PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
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PRESENT
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PRESENT CONTINUOUS
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PRESENT PARTICIPLE
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PRESENT PERFECT
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PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
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PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE
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SIMPLE PAST
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