Vom Flüchtling zur Unternehmerin: Mariams Weg in Deutschland

What does “überwältigend” mean in German?

Mariam tells how people reacted to her family’s chocolate: “Die Reaktion war überwältigend.” She means the response was huge — far more love and support than they expected. “Überwältigend” is for a feeling so strong it almost takes you over: overwhelming joy, an overwhelming welcome, an overwhelming crowd. Here the tone is warm and happy, not scary. So when you hear it, picture something so big it leaves the person almost speechless.

In the clip: “Die Reaktion war überwältigend.” — “The response was overwhelming.” She got far more support than she expected. “Überwältigend” describes something so strong it almost takes you over. It often goes with good, big feelings, but it can also be used for hard moments. Examples: - “Die Aussicht von hier oben ist überwältigend.” — “The view from up here is overwhelming.” (so beautiful it stops you) - “Wir haben überwältigend viele Nachrichten bekommen.” — “We got an overwhelming number of messages.” (way more than expected) - “Die Trauer war überwältigend.” — “The grief was overwhelming.” (so heavy it was hard to bear) Usage note: most often it is something positive and almost too big to take in, but the context tells you the real feeling. Mariam’s line is clearly warm and thankful.