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Overwhelming vs Excessive - What's the difference?

overwhelming | excessive |

As adjectives the difference between overwhelming and excessive

is that overwhelming is overpowering, staggering, or irresistibly strong while excessive is exceeding the usual bounds of something; extravagant; immoderate.

As a verb overwhelming

is present participle of to overwhelm .

overwhelming

English

Verb

(head)
  • Present participle of to overwhelm .

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Overpowering, staggering, or irresistibly strong.
  • *
    • The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades.
  • Very great or intense.
  • Extreme.

    • Antonyms

    * underwhelming

    excessive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Exceeding the usual bounds of something; extravagant; immoderate.
    • "I personally consider putting a wide vibrato on a single 16th triplet note at 160 beats per minute rather excessive , nay even stupid."

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * insufficient * deficient

    Derived terms

    * excessive number

    Related terms

    * exceed * excess