overmastered
Brought to heel
Overmastered is the past tense of overmaster, meaning to overpower or subdue completely.
The word suggests being conquered by a superior force—physical, emotional, or psychological: He was overmastered by grief, She found herself overmastered by his arguments.
The term carries a literary or formal tone, appearing more often in older texts than contemporary speech.
Defeated completely
- conqueredDefeated and took control
- bestedOvercame in a contest
- beatenHaving lost a contest
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
overpowered · trounced · routed · overthrown · crushed · subjugated · annihilated · thrashed
Kept within limits
- subjugatedBrought under control
- oppressedTreated with cruel control
- enslavedMade someone's property
- yokedJoined by a wooden beam
commanded · governed · suppressed · coerced · manipulated · constrained · dictated · tyrannized
Made docile
- quelledForcibly ended unrest
- pacifiedMade tranquil again
- quietedMade less loud
- suppressedForcibly held down
restrained · conquered · broken · cowed · brought to heel · humbled · domesticated · bridled
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- engulfedCompletely swallowed up
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- overrunSpread throughout uncontrollably
- besiegedSurrounded by attackers
overpowered · flooded · overcome · snowed under · drowning · suffocated · burdened · overtaken
vanquished
Defeated completely
overcome · overpowered · trounced · routed · overthrown · crushed · subjugated · annihilated · thrashed · clobbered
controlled
Kept within limits
- subjugatedBrought under control
- oppressedTreated with cruel control
- enslavedMade someone's property
yoked · commanded · governed · suppressed · coerced · manipulated · constrained · dictated · tyrannized · ruled
tamed
Made docile
suppressed · restrained · conquered · broken · cowed · brought to heel · humbled · domesticated · bridled · curbed
swamped
Overwhelmed beyond capacity
- engulfedCompletely swallowed up
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- overrunSpread throughout uncontrollably
besieged · overpowered · flooded · overcome · snowed under · drowning · suffocated · burdened · overtaken · deluged
overmasteredovermastering
Irresistibly forceful or controlling
conquering · vanquishing · prevailing · victorious · dominating
overmasteredunconquered
Never overcome or subdued
undefeated · unsubdued · unyielding · unbowed · indomitable