1
a
: to an overwhelming extent
an overwhelmingly powerful army
b
: extremely
overwhelmingly mediocre
2
: mostly by far
the workers were overwhelmingly female

Examples of overwhelmingly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Canadians overwhelmingly supported Ottawa’s decision to abandon talks; nearly two-thirds believe the trade crisis will make Canada stronger by becoming less dependent on Washington. Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Debbie Wasserman Schultz also won her primary in District 20, an overwhelmingly Democratic district that Kamala Harris won by 37 points in the 2024 presidential election. Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 But the country’s kidnapping epidemic has been overwhelmingly felt by Haitians, with gangs notorious for taking victims from among even the very poor. Etant Dupain, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 This comes despite months of hard work and compromise for a set of rules that would be overwhelmingly positive for America by creating new business opportunities and reducing the risk of another FTX. Omid Malekan, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overwhelmingly

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of overwhelmingly was in 1667

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overwhelmingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwhelmingly. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!