overwhelming effort

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "overwhelming effort" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a task or activity involving a large amount of work or energy. For example: "John put in an overwhelming effort to finish the project before the deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Sudden strain, like a football match, demands an overwhelming effort.

The Guardian - Sport

There seems to be an overwhelming effort on the part of broadcasters to insist on democracy, accountability and giving the public a genuine chance to hear what the parties stand for.

The Guardian - Opinion

He said to break this cycle, there needs to be an overwhelming effort.

TechCrunch

Copenhagen has failed, even with the support of the Obama administration and overwhelming effort by the global climate movement.

Huffington Post

Additionally they remarked that is was too detailed and its completion required an overwhelming effort.

BMC Medical Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

WRI said those non-energy, non-carbon emissions would rise 18% above 2005 levels by 2020 and 36% in 2035 – overwhelming efforts to reduce emissions from the power industry.

The Guardian

For the multi-contaminant systems, this approach may be impractical due to the overwhelming efforts required in deriving and solving the corresponding models.

Chemical Engineering Science

I can express my concerns, and I haven't seen or heard of any overwhelming efforts to mitigate Jamaican male distain, distrust and disgust towards gays and lesbians".

Huffington Post

And these days in America, it takes an overwhelming political effort just to get started.(Photo credit: Bloomberg News).

The Economist

They did it with sophistication, with overwhelming technical efforts, and it was an 'active measures' campaign driven from the top of that government".

The New Yorker

Capital flows are often driven more by the global financial weather than by the investment prospects in emerging economies; they can be disproportionately large; and they can change abruptly with the market mood, overwhelming domestic efforts to promote stable development.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "overwhelming effort" when you want to emphasize the sheer scale or intensity of the work required or invested in something. It conveys a sense of being almost too much to handle.

Common error

Avoid using "overwhelming effort" to describe tasks that are routine or require only moderate exertion. This can create a sense of exaggeration and diminish the impact of the phrase.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "overwhelming effort" typically functions as a noun phrase, where "overwhelming" modifies the noun "effort". As Ludwig AI points out, it describes a situation involving a large amount of work or energy.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

25%

Formal & Business

25%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "overwhelming effort" is a grammatically sound and usable expression that suggests a task or activity demands a great deal of work or energy. As Ludwig AI confirms, this expression is appropriate for highlighting situations characterized by substantial investment of resources. Although relatively rare in occurrence, it is most commonly found in news and media sources, and science. When using "overwhelming effort", it's best to ensure that it truly reflects the scale and intensity of the situation to avoid exaggeration. Alternatives such as "substantial endeavor" or "considerable exertion" might be more appropriate in less intense contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

all-out push

Implies a final, maximum effort to achieve a goal, suggesting urgency and high intensity.

substantial endeavor

Replaces "effort" with "endeavor" and "overwhelming" with "substantial", softening the intensity.

considerable exertion

Uses "exertion" instead of "effort", focusing on the energy expended; "considerable" reduces the sense of being overpowering.

vigorous attempt

Highlights the energy and forcefulness of the attempt.

major undertaking

Shifts the focus to the task itself as a "major undertaking", implying significant effort.

significant initiative

Replaces "effort" with "initiative", suggesting a proactive and important undertaking; "significant" indicates importance but less intensity.

extensive work

Focuses on the amount of work involved, rather than the intensity or impact.

intensive campaign

Emphasizes a focused and concentrated effort, often with a specific goal.

determined struggle

Emphasizes the difficulty and persistence involved in the effort, highlighting resilience.

heroic endeavor

Replaces "effort" with "endeavor" and adds a sense of bravery and exceptional achievement.

FAQs

How can I use "overwhelming effort" in a sentence?

You can use "overwhelming effort" to describe situations where a considerable amount of work or energy is being put into a task. For example, "The team demonstrated "overwhelming effort" to meet the project deadline".

What are some alternatives to "overwhelming effort"?

Some alternatives include "substantial endeavor", "considerable exertion", or "major undertaking". The choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is it appropriate to use "overwhelming effort" in formal writing?

Yes, "overwhelming effort" is suitable for formal writing. However, ensure that the context warrants the strong emphasis implied by the phrase.

What's the difference between "overwhelming effort" and "great effort"?

"Overwhelming effort" suggests a task that is so large or difficult it is almost unmanageable. "Great effort" ("great effort") simply means a significant amount of work was put in, without the implication of being nearly unmanageable.