Word: inundate (verb)

Associations

The word "inundate" means to flood or overwhelm someone or something with a large amount of things, like water, information, or tasks.

• When a river overflows and covers the land, we say it inundates the area. This is the original, physical meaning.
• You can be inundated with emails when you get too many messages at once.
• A student might feel inundated with homework if there is too much to do. A well-known synonym is "flood," but "inundate" is often more formal or used in writing. "Flood" can be more general and informal.

Substitution

You can replace "inundate" with:

• flood – when talking about water or large amounts of things.
• overwhelm – when talking about feelings or tasks.
• swamp – informal, meaning to cover or fill completely. Example: "She was inundated with questions" could be "She was overwhelmed with questions."

Deconstruction

The word "inundate" comes from Latin "inundare," where "in-" means "in" or "into," and "unda" means "wave." So it literally means "to flow in waves" or "to flood." This helps understand why it means to cover or overwhelm with something like water or other things.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt inundated with work or information?
• How would you describe a situation where a place is inundated by water after heavy rain?
• Do you think "inundate" sounds more serious or formal than "flood"? Why?