What's the difference between deluge and overwhelm?

Deluge


Definition:

  • (n.) A washing away; an overflowing of the land by water; an inundation; a flood; specifically, The Deluge, the great flood in the days of Noah (Gen. vii.).
  • (n.) Fig.: Anything which overwhelms, or causes great destruction.
  • (v. t.) To overflow with water; to inundate; to overwhelm.
  • (v. t.) To overwhelm, as with a deluge; to cover; to overspread; to overpower; to submerge; to destroy; as, the northern nations deluged the Roman empire with their armies; the land is deluged with woe.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In Kew Gardens, west London, 18mm of rain fell in just an hour on Saturday afternoon with other deluges causing travel misery.
  • (2) The historic and devastating floods in Louisiana are the latest in a series of heavy deluges that some climate scientists warn will become even more common as the world continues to warm.
  • (3) Among their choicest memories from last year, they tell me, are watching shoals of goldfish swim down their street, and coming home to find Derrick's model boat collection bobbing on the deluge.
  • (4) But in recent weeks a deluge of "best ever" deals means borrowers can now access the lowest two-, three- and five-year fixed rates since 1989 when fixed-rate home loans became available, according to data provider Moneyfacts.
  • (5) At first, the sheer deluge of random faces, selfies, girls kissing other girls (is that a thing nowadays?)
  • (6) The Bank has been raising concerns about the potential liquidity risk in the financial system for some time but will now ask fund managers how they would handle a deluge of requests from investors to redeem their cash.
  • (7) Our helpline (0800 970 9690) has been noticeably busier in the last week as letters have landed on people’s doormats and we are set for a deluge of calls as a result of the chancellor’s comments today as people seek advice on how to sort out their tax affairs.
  • (8) Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair, which handled the sale, was deluged with interest in the lot which had been given a guide price of between £6000 and £8000.
  • (9) They could be seen as an incentive scheme, to make up for the fact that the pay is often less than in the private sector (though I'm not sure the swan marker would be deluged with offers outside the palace).
  • (10) The deluge of old images of the destruction of Sarajevo, the videos of Mladic talking to the soon-to-be-dead men and boys of Srebrenica , the scores of commentators discussing the legal technicalities of his extradition and indictment, the statements of politicians congratulating Serbia for arresting the war criminal who lived freely for 16 years, some people of Serbia and some Serbs in Bosnia demonstrating in support of Mladic – it all brings a new kind of pain, one that adds insult to injury.
  • (11) Now, after decades of remaining quietly out of the national spotlight, the gentle hillsides and country lanes of the Yorkshire Wolds are preparing for a deluge of attention brought on by interest in David Hockney's latest paintings.
  • (12) Gretchen Carlson's lawyer: 'deluge' of women have complaints about Ailes Read more Carlson’s lawyers, Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman, said their client intends to pursue her right to a public jury trial.
  • (13) Sir John Hegarty, the president of the film jury at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, has warned that the deluge of internet campaigns is threatening to prevent traditional TV commercials getting the recognition they deserve at the industry's premier global awards.
  • (14) An insolvency specialist today warned of a "deluge" of business failures next year, saying the UK is in the mid-point of a W-shaped recession.
  • (15) That effort backfired as Israel faced a deluge of embarrassing revelations about the case which appeared to expose the detailed workings of its overseas intelligence agency in the most graphic detail, as well as the growing irritation of Israel's allies over the Mossad's behaviour.
  • (16) That’s largely based on extrapolating extreme – and unjustifiable – cases of abuse: as somebody who has been deluged with rightwing abuse, I’ve never tried to argue that those behind it are representative of the right.
  • (17) Still, she could have been little prepared for the deluge of publicity on Friday, when Argyll and Bute council was forced into a humiliating climbdown over a decision to effectively close the blog, by banning photography in the school dining hall.
  • (18) How do we sift through this deluge of data to find the right insights?
  • (19) Concerns about halal certifications have circulated among critics of Islam for years but became prominent last November after a South Australian dairy company was deluged with abuse on social media for deciding to certify its products.
  • (20) Despite the anticipated deluge of screening examinations in the next decade, there were only 17 fellowships that included at least 6 months of mammography identified in 15 (7%) of the institutions; only 11 of these were full-time 1-year breast imaging fellowships.

Overwhelm


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To cover over completely, as by a great wave; to overflow and bury beneath; to ingulf; hence, figuratively, to immerse and bear down; to overpower; to crush; to bury; to oppress, etc., overpoweringly.
  • (v. t.) To project or impend over threateningly.
  • (v. t.) To cause to surround, to cover.
  • (n.) The act of overwhelming.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The following conclusions emerge: (i) when the 3' or the 3' penultimate base of the oligonucleotide mismatched an allele, no amplification product could be detected; (ii) when the mismatches were 3 and 4 bases from the 3' end of the primer, differential amplification was still observed, but only at certain concentrations of magnesium chloride; (iii) the mismatched allele can be detected in the presence of a 40-fold excess of the matched allele; (iv) primers as short as 13 nucleotides were effective; and (v) the specificity of the amplification could be overwhelmed by greatly increasing the concentration of target DNA.
  • (2) She added: “We will continue to act upon the overwhelming majority view of our shareholders.” The vote was the second year running Ryanair had suffered a rebellion on pay.
  • (3) T cells admixed in the germinal centers were overwhelmingly of the T-helper type.
  • (4) Unfortunately for the governor, he could win both states and still face the overwhelming likelihood of failure if he doesn't take Ohio, where the poll found Obama out front 51-43.
  • (5) In Britain, the European election is overwhelmingly seen through the prism of domestic politics.
  • (6) Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian Asked if Watson should seek to refresh his mandate after Corbyn’s overwhelming victory among members, McCluskey added: “Well, if Tom wants to try to refresh his mandate it would be interesting to see what happens.” Watson said it was time “to be proud of our party”, because the Conservatives were beatable and the prime minister, Theresa May, could call an election any time.
  • (7) The government acknowledged it had been overwhelmed by the devastation from the deadliest quake in Nepal in over 80 years.
  • (8) He made me laugh and cry, and his courage in writing about what he was going through was sometimes quite overwhelming.
  • (9) Although alpha 1-antiprotease (alpha 1-AP) binds and inactivates NE and is the major antielastase of the lower respiratory tract, antielastase defenses may be overwhelmed in CF, leading to progressive lung damage.
  • (10) And HAP has shown that the key finding that debt slows growth was driven overwhelmingly by the exclusion of four years of data from New Zealand.
  • (11) Cathepsin D-like acid proteinase existed overwhelmingly in the mucosal layer and was hardly detected in the gastric juice.
  • (12) Hence, reaction of chemical carcinogen with nuclear DNA is possible only when the cell is overwhelmed leading to cell death, or following a temporary breach of the nuclear membrane control points, but the DNA damage in the latter is totally reparable.
  • (13) The facts are clear: the overwhelming majority of EU citizens in Britain are contributors, not freeloaders.” But that was not the official position of any of the parties involved, so it went mostly unsaid.
  • (14) Of 54 patients with poor-grade aneurysms, ventriculostomy was placed in 47 (87.0%) and yielded high ICP's in the overwhelming majority, with the mean ICP being 40.2 cm H2O.
  • (15) There is overwhelming evidence, today, that such factors are involved in the manifestation of acute as well as chronic, non-specific as well as well as specific inflammation.
  • (16) Mobile phone networks, overwhelmed by demand, were down for hours, with authorities advising people to use email or text messages instead.
  • (17) The immunity was enacted by an overwhelming bipartisan vote, with the support of leading Democrats including Barack Obama, who had promised - when seeking his party's nomination - to filibuster any bill that contained retroactive telecom immunity.
  • (18) There’s an overwhelming sadness among kids like that who have been kept there for a very long time.
  • (19) Panic attacks would overwhelm her periodically and she experienced regular “ scanxiety ” – the feelings of dread that grip patients before new tests.
  • (20) In the meantime, Malaysia Airlines’ overwhelming focus will be the same as it has been from the outset – to provide the families with a comprehensive support programme.