as in overwhelms
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelms
Verb
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The scent is beautifully soft—a gentle blend of leather, iris, and jasmine that never overwhelms the room.—
Hannah Coates, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2026
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Much of the first half of the novel is given over to claustrophobic atmosphere that overwhelms the wide open country all around them.—
Verb
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But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.—
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The research team at Tokyo Polytechnic University has now demonstrated a simple and affordable VLC system that overcomes several of these obstacles.—
Verb
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Michael Winner’s gritty urban thriller starred Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, an everyman architect who becomes a vigilante after a brutal assault devastates his family.—
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Americans are used to thinking about automation as something that devastates factory towns in the heartland.—
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Cite this Entry
“Whelms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelms. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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