overwhelmed
adj.-
1 too much work or stress (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatefeeling like you have too many things to do and not enough time or energy to finish them.
burdened by an excessive amount of work, responsibility, or sensory input that exceeds one's coping capacity.
ExampleI felt completely overwhelmed by all the emails I had to answer after my holiday.
ExampleThe social worker felt increasingly overwhelmed as her caseload doubled without any additional administrative support from the department.
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'by' or 'with'.
- overloaded
- swamped
- snowed under
PitfallThe work was very overwhelmed.The work was very overwhelming.Use 'overwhelmed' to describe how a person feels, and 'overwhelming' to describe the thing causing that feeling.
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2 strong emotion (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatefeeling a very strong emotion, like being so happy or sad that you cannot speak.
experiencing an intense emotional reaction that temporarily incapacitates one's usual composure.
ExampleShe was overwhelmed with joy when she saw her family at the airport.
ExampleThe young author appeared visibly overwhelmed by the standing ovation, struggling to find the right words for her acceptance speech.
- indifferent
- unmoved