as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the student was overmastered by the stress of taking the college placement test and broke down crying

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 overmaster Passion is an intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction. Bird Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 8 Dec. 2019 Jesus’ Son is about the force of addiction and the only thing that can overmaster it: the ecstatic experience of God. Longreads, 17 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overmaster
Verb
  • For example, colorful hardware in a small kitchen with a lot of cabinets can overwhelm the space with visual clutter rather than color.
    Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025
  • Almost immediately, the new facility was overwhelmed: Between the year of its founding and 1887, 44 percent of the women admitted into San Clemente were pellagrous.
    Asia London Palomba, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Skubal overcame a Tommy John procedure in college and a flexor tendon surgery earlier in his big-league career to become one of baseball’s elite pitchers.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • The odds remain against them — only 16.1% of teams have overcome a 3-2 deficit in NBA playoff history — but the Knicks are coming off their best all-around performance of the series.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 30 May 2025
Verb
  • While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated by even the implications.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 June 2025
  • The group warns that the ban on hemp products with THC would devastate legal businesses and drive demand toward the unregulated black market.
    Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Overmaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overmaster. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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