overwhelming

Etymology

verb

1. present participle and gerund of overwhelm

adj

1. Overpowering, staggering, or irresistibly strong.
   It is this stretch which provides what is perhaps the most staggering scenic prospect of all; the impression made on the mind by the overwhelming height of the Eiger, towering over the train, is almost impossible to describe. 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 754
   God is an overwhelming responsibility. 1972, “Thick As A Brick”, Ian Anderson (lyrics), performed by Jethro Tull
2. Very great or intense.
3. Extreme.

noun

1. A situation of being overwhelmed.
   They have centuries of premodern experience in coping with being overwhelmed in multiple ways—not only by God, but also by other overwhelmings that have always been part of the human condition, such as disease, famine, war […] 2013, David Ford, Theology: A Very Short Introduction, page 9