overpowered

1. 1
   adjective

   Having far too much power or strength, especially in relation to others of the same kind.

   Reviewers complained that the spell was overpowered and ruined the game's balance.

   The little speedboat felt overpowered, its huge motor far too strong for the hull.

   SimilarOP

   Oppositeunderpowered, weak

   Note

   An adjective that judges rather than reports: guards who were overpowered lost a fight, while a character who is overpowered is simply too strong. The passive of the past participle looks identical, so context tells them apart. An engine can be overpowered for a small car. Players complain that a game character is overpowered, or OP for short. It is gradable and takes more and most.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of overpower.

   Rescue workers overpowered the panicking swimmer to bring him safely ashore.

   The rebels were overpowered by government forces after a long siege.

   Note

   One spelling covers both the simple past (they overpowered the guard) and the participle that follows have or be (the guard was overpowered). The participle carries every meaning of overpower: subduing someone by force, drowning out a weaker sensation until it cannot be perceived, and making something excessively powerful. That last meaning sits closest to the "too strong" adjective.

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