Meaning & use
inundated with messages
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Received so many messages that it is difficult to deal with them all.
Grammar: Almost always used in the passive: I was inundated with messages. The active form 'inundate someone with messages' is also possible but less common.
Patterns
- be inundated with messages
- get inundated with messages
- inundate someone with messages
After the announcement, the office was inundated with messages from worried customers.
She was inundated with messages after her post went viral.
The help desk gets inundated with messages every Monday morning.
Common combinations
- be inundated with messages
- The celebrity was inundated with messages after the interview.
- get inundated with messages
- I get inundated with messages whenever I post a photo.
- inundated with messages from someone
- They were inundated with messages from fans around the world.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flooded with messages
- Very similar and often interchangeable; 'flooded' is slightly more common in informal speech.
- swamped with messages
- Emphasizes being overwhelmed and unable to cope; 'inundated' focuses on the sheer quantity arriving.
Opposites
Word family
- inundate verb
- To cover with a flood or to overwhelm with a large amount.
- inundation noun
- A flood or an overwhelming quantity of something.
Commonly confused: inundated with messages or inundated by messages?
inundated with messages vs inundated by messages
'Inundated with' is the standard phrase; 'by' is sometimes used but sounds less natural to many speakers.
Practice
Complete the sentence: After the TV appearance, the singer was inundated ___ messages.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'inundated with messages'. 'By' is possible in some contexts but 'with' is the standard and most natural choice here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inundated with messages”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.