The Meaning of Inundated: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of inundated? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word inundated, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word inundated mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Word inundated is the past tense of the transitive verb inundate. This verb means to overwhelm or overflow. This word uses the suffix ed, but one can also use the suffixes tion or ing to form a noun or different tenses of the jerb like the subjunctive past tense of the indicative past tense. There are many examples of inundate that can be used literally and figuratively. Literally, this word is usually used to talk about floods or water. The opposite of a drought, the word inundate could refer to a storm in Spokane, an overflowing bathtub onto the bathroom floor, dam building, flash floods where the majority of the rivers overflow, or other tough to control floods, an overflowing river, or larger volume of water. Figuratively, the word inundate means to metaphorically overwhelm. 

Many different languages also contain words that mean inundated. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to the word inundated. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that look and sound similar while also having a similar meaning across languages. These are usually formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations for the word inundated is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Finnish: hukuttaa‎ (transitive), hukkua‎ (intransitive)
  •  Russian: зава́ливать‎ (impf), завали́ть‎ (pf)
  •  Catalan: inundar‎
  •  Italian: inondare‎
  •  Spanish: inundar‎
  •  Portuguese: inundar‎
  •  Czech: zaplavit‎
  •  Welsh: gorlifo‎
  •  Swedish: överväldiga‎, överhopa‎, översvämma‎, tynga ner‎
  •  Polish: przytłoczyć‎
  •  French: inonder‎
  •  Mandarin: 氾濫‎, 泛滥‎ (fànlàn)
  •  Persian: اشباع کردن‎ (ešbâ’ kardan)

How can the word inundated be used in a sentence?

The word inundated can be used in many different ways. The word inundated is used literally and figuratively in the below examples.

The meteorologist noticed the precipitation rate increases around the globe – in Paraguay, Argentina Brazil, Bangladesh, Jakarta, eastern India, southern China, and the mountainous areas of the remotest Indian villages. Sometimes, the whole town or half of the country was underwater and relief officials had to be brought in to start flood-control projects.

After the restaurant was covered by media journalists, they were inundated by unexpected orders from their outdated menus. They considered hiring someone to do social media and web design as a full-time job.

The building of the canal and different dams was meant to curb the inundation of the rice land and villages, to both dave property and prevent much loss of life.

The short-list of first place winners from the free test from the Art of Travel magazine were inundated with beauty products, nail kits, and other prizes. The lucky readers were thrilled with the rush of overflowing abundance. 

The park land in the northwest lands of many indigenous peoples, including the Colville nations, were inundated by a tidal wave, and they had to make the tough decision to close the park for the rest of the year. The waves were just too destructive, and caused a great amount of damage with a one-metre rise in the sea level.

The FBI agents were inundated by text messages and incoming queries on the topic after the capitol attack yesterday on Wednesday.

In the class at Princeton University, the students learned about the inundated Spanish army during the war and the parts of the capital that were destroyed.

The inundation destroyed the one populous capital city of Bihar state. 

Williams was inundated with media requests after the news of the new deal broke. All he wanted to do was turn his phone off and hide in his basement.

What is the origin of the word inundated?

The word inundated is the past tense of the word inundate. According to Etymonline, the word inundate has been used since the 1620s in Late Middle English. This word was formed as a back formation from the word inundation. It also could have come from the Latin inundatus, inundāt or ​in undāre/undare, the past participle of inundated meaning to overflow or run over. This is also the source of the Spanish inundar and the French inonder. Related words include inundation (n.), inundated (adj./adv.) and inundating.

What are synonyms and antonyms for the word inundated?

There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word inundated. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as a given word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are trying to expand your vocabulary or avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word inundated is provided by Thesaurus

  •  submerge
  •  stun
  •  do in
  •  render speechless
  •  engulf
  •  downgrade
  •  overwhelm
  •  massacre
  •  demoralize
  •  overpower
  •  shatter
  •  crush
  •  drown
  •  swamp
  •  stagger
  •  immerse
  •  steamroller
  •  pour down on
  •  overcome
  •  disturb
  •  overflow
  •  surprise
  •  whip
  •  thrash
  •  confuse
  •  destroy
  •  confound
  •  whelm
  •  shock
  •  floor
  •  bury
  •  dunk
  •  overrun
  •  drub
  •  bowl over
  •  conquer
  •  defeat
  •  puzzle
  •  overthrow
  •  kill
  •  prostrate
  •  upset
  •  dumbfound
  •  win
  •  run circles around
  •  rout
  •  flood
  •  wreck
  •  total
  •  deluge
  •  blow out of the water
  •  bewilder
  •  smother
  •  snow
  •  subordinate
  •  glut

There are also many different words that mean the opposite of the word inundated. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word inundated is also provided by Thesaurus

  •  baffle
  •  let down
  •  fall short of
  •  not show
  •  embitter
  •  tease
  •  circumvent
  •  mislead
  •  cast down
  •  disappoint
  •  chagrin
  •  abort
  •  dissatisfy
  •  fall flat
  •  come to nothing
  •  miscarry
  •  vex
  •  depress
  •  foil
  •  dismay
  •  bring to naught
  •  founder
  •  ruin prospects
  •  disconcert
  •  leave in the lurch
  •  hamper
  •  dishearten
  •  dash hopes
  •  put out
  •  dash
  •  thwart
  •  stand up
  •  delude
  •  disgruntle
  •  disillusion
  •  lower
  •  dumbfound
  •  fail
  •  bungle
  •  disenchant
  •  hinder
  •  torment
  •  balk
  •  confound
  •  displease
  •  fall down on
  •  deceive

Overall, the word inundated (pronunciation: in unda ted)means overwhelmed or overflowing. This can be used literally to refer to staggering annual floods or tides above sea level, as well as other adjacent flood plains, or it can be used figuratively to refer to anything that is overwhelming. This word is from the Latin inundat and the verb inundare/inundāre, from Indo-European roots.

Sources:

  1. Inundate: Meaning, Origin, Translation | Word Sense
  2. UNDERWHELM Synonyms: 10 Synonyms & Antonyms for UNDERWHELM | Thesaurus 
  3. INUNDATE Synonyms: 14 Synonyms & Antonyms for INUNDATE | Thesaurus 
  4. inundate | Origin and meaning of inundate | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  5. Inundate | Definition of Inundate | Merriam-Webster