whelm
Swallow up whole
Whelm means to engulf, submerge, or overwhelm completely.
It appears most often in literary or archaic contexts, having been largely displaced by its more emphatic form *overwhelm* in everyday speech.
When something whelms you, it covers or buries you as water might: The waves whelmed the small craft.
The word occasionally surfaces in humorous contexts when speakers want something between underwhelmed and overwhelmed.
Severe overflow of water
- torrentViolent rushing flow
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- surgeSudden powerful increase
cascade · downpour · engulf · submerge · drown · swamp · inundate · immerse
Prevail against difficulty
- overpowerDefeat by superior force
- engulfCompletely surround and cover
- consumeTake in fully
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
drown · suffocate · paralyze · stagger · stun · devastate · shatter · crush
Prevail against difficulty
- conquerOvercome by force
- subdueBring under control
- defeatVictory over another
- vanquishDefeat thoroughly in conflict
overpower · suppress · dominate · crush · quash · rout · trounce · master
Too intense to withstand
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
- staggeringShockingly impressive or unsteady
- devastatingCausing severe damage
- consumingUsing up entirely
all-encompassing · relentless · unrelenting · unbearable · insurmountable · inescapable · torrential · barrage
deluge
Severe overflow of water
- torrentViolent rushing flow
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
surge · cascade · downpour · engulf · submerge · drown · swamp · inundate · immerse · swallow
overcome
Prevail against difficulty
flood · drown · suffocate · paralyze · stagger · stun · devastate · shatter · crush · anxiety
overcome
Prevail against difficulty
vanquish · overpower · suppress · dominate · crush · quash · rout · trounce · master · subjugate
overpowering
Too intense to withstand
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
- staggeringShockingly impressive or unsteady
- devastatingCausing severe damage
consuming · all-encompassing · relentless · unrelenting · unbearable · insurmountable · inescapable · torrential · barrage · onslaught
overwhelm, overwhelmed, overwhelming, whelp, overwhelms, overwhelmingly, underwhelm, underwhelmed, underwhelming