whelmed

verb

past tense of whelm
as in overwhelmed
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the news so whelmed them that they were stunned into silence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whelmed Of all the underwhelming parts of this underwhelming finale of an underwhelming season, the final immunity challenge did not leave me whelmed. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025 As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelmed
  1. overwhelmed
  2. devastated
Verb
  • To avoid the pitfalls of apps like Tinder and Hinge—where women are vastly outnumbered by men and are therefore overwhelmed by choice while men receive very few matches—FirstDate uses a Nobel Prize-winning matching theory algorithm.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Gophers' defense overwhelmed Michigan's offense and quarterback Bryce Underwood Saturday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelmed
Verb
  • Healthcare workers who’d turned up for the event described patients choosing between affording medication or food, or how they themselves had been financially devastated by a medical crisis.
    — Kate Wells, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Ji-hye’s punishment Ji-hye is devastated at the arrest of her son, and furiously tries to confess to the crime herself.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastated

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Cite this Entry

“Whelmed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelmed. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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