Meaning & use
sensory overload
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Meaning
noununcountable
A state of distress that happens when sounds, lights, smells or touch overwhelm the brain, making it hard to think or cope.
Grammar: Used without an article: she suffered sensory overload.
Patterns
- experience sensory overload
- suffer from sensory overload
- sensory overload from something
The noisy mall left him in sensory overload.
Bright lights and music caused sensory overload for the child.
She left the party early to avoid sensory overload.
Common combinations
- experience sensory overload
- Many travelers experience sensory overload in busy markets.
- avoid sensory overload
- Quiet rooms help students avoid sensory overload.
- suffer from sensory overload
- He suffers from sensory overload in crowded stations.
- prone to sensory overload
- Some children are prone to sensory overload.
- on the verge of sensory overload
- After the concert, I was on the verge of sensory overload.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overstimulation
- A close match that sounds more clinical, while sensory overload names the senses specifically.
- overwhelm
- Is a general feeling that can come from tasks or emotions, not only from sights and sounds.
- information overload
- Refers to too much data to process, not too much physical stimulation.
Opposites
Word family
- sense noun
- a faculty such as sight or hearing
- sensory adjective
- relating to the senses
- overload verb
- to put too much on something
- overloaded adjective
- carrying or receiving too much
Commonly confused: sensory overload or sensory deprivation?
sensory overload vs sensory deprivation
This is the opposite, a lack of sensory input, rather than too much.
Practice
After hours in the loud, flashing arcade, Maya felt ___ and needed a quiet room.
Choose one answer.
Loud, flashing surroundings cause too much input, which is sensory overload. Sensory deprivation is the opposite, a lack of input.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sensory overload”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.