Master confusing words with ease
Overweening vs. Overwhelming
Overweening
/əʊvəˈwiːnɪŋ/Examples:
His overweening pride led to his eventual downfall.She displayed an overweening sense of self-importance.The CEO's overweening ambitions worried the board.
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Overwhelming
/ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋ/Examples:
She felt an overwhelming sense of loss.'Gentle, charming, overwhelming Sally.'"It's overwhelming," Lyon said.
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This word has no antonymsWays to tell them apart:
- Overweening and overwhelming are both adjectives but imply different extents of an action or behavior.
- Overweening often carries a negative connotation, implying excessiveness in pride or confidence, whereas overwhelming suggests an overpowering effect or feeling, not necessarily negative.
- Think of overweening as over + winning, implying pridefullness that goes too far.
- Consider overwhelming as over + whelming, like something so great in amount or intensity that it feels like a flood.
- Remember that overweening is usually about attitude or behavior, while overwhelming is more about situations or emotions.
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