überlastet

Überlastet is a German adjective meaning overloaded or overburdened. It derives from the verb überlasten (to overload) and is used to describe something that has been subjected to an excessive load or demand. The term can apply to physical objects, technical systems, and people, and it often implies reduced performance, failure, or exhaustion.

In common usage, the phrase Der Server ist überlastet indicates that a system cannot handle current requests. In transportation or logistics, it can describe congestion or capacity stress: überlastete Straßen or überlastete Züge. In work and social contexts, one might speak of eine überlastete Belegschaft or eine überlastete Arbeitslast, referring to high workloads and the risk of burnout. The word is frequent in media coverage about IT incidents, network traffic, or urban capacity problems, but is also used descriptively in everyday speech.

Etymology and forms: The adjective is formed from über- (over) + Last (load) and agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number: ein überlasteter Akku, eine überlastete Leitung, überlastete Systeme. The corresponding noun is Überlastung (overload or overburdening), and the related verb is überlasten. In some contexts, overloading can refer to safety-critical thresholds, so überlastet may also imply a condition beyond design limits.

Related terms: Überlastung, Überbeanspruchung, Unterlast, and phrases such as systemische Überlastung or Infrastrukturüberlastung are common in technical, economic, and urban planning discourse.