Inundate

hardNegative tone

IN-un-dayt

verb

Definition

To overwhelm with things or people to be dealt with

Memory hook

IN-UND-ATE: WAVES (unda) flooding IN -- overwhelmed like a mailbox drowning in emails.

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Word roots

inundareto overflow(Latin)
undawave(Latin)

Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.

Examples

The office was inundated with applications for the position.
Heavy rains inundated the low-lying areas.

Test yourself

Fill in the blank with the right word:

The office was ______ with applications for the position.
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inundated

Synonyms

floodoverwhelmdelugeswamp

Antonyms

drainemptydepleteparch

Categories

View all Overwhelming words

GRE Tip

Inundate is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "flood" or "overwhelm" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "drain".

Read: How to Memorize GRE Words That Actually Stick

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