tumultuous

adjective

tu·​mul·​tu·​ous tu̇-ˈməl-chə-wəs 

tyu̇-,

tə-,

-chəs;

-ˈməlch-wəs

1

: marked by tumult : loud, excited, and emotional

tumultuous applause

2

: tending or disposed to cause or incite a tumult

the laws … were violated by a tumultuous faction

—Edward Gibbon

3

: marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval

tumultuous passions

tumultuously adverb

tumultuousness noun

Synonyms

• cataclysmal
• cataclysmic
• convulsive
• stormy
• tempestuous
• turbulent

Examples of tumultuous in a Sentence

For someone with such a tumultuous inner world, the muscular choice-is-all school of moral philosophy could not be satisfactory. —Martha C. Nussbaum, New Republic, 31 Dec. 2001

The tumultuous sensual undercurrent of the Orient had, like water in the desert, gone underground and though perhaps it bubbled up behind courtyard walls, in public places it kept out of sight. —Leila Hadley, Give Me the World, (1958) 1999

The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. —J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999

We were not accustomed to loran, and to pick up a buoy, as I now did with my binoculars, after thirty days of tumultuous seas, at precisely the time and angle that our charted position led us to anticipate, struck me as nothing short of miraculous. —Louis Auchincloss, "Atlantic War," in Authors at Sea, Robert Shenk, ed.,  1997

The returning astronauts were given a tumultuous welcome.

The room filled with tumultuous applause.

Recent Examples on the Web

Born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones was raised in a tumultuous environment marked by the Great Depression and his mother’s mental illness. —Okla Jones, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024

People from low-income backgrounds typically cannot afford to pursue art careers, and the tumultuous economic situation of Nigeria only serves to magnify that problem. —Tobe Otuogbodor, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024

Other states also are facing tumultuous weather, as thunderstorms laden with heavy rain prompted flood watches in Kansas and Arkansas and flash flood warnings in Missouri. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Across the country, law enforcement, political leaders and election workers are bracing for a tumultuous end to the election and taking precautions. —Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see tumult

First Known Use

circa 1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tumultuous

adjective

tu·​mul·​tu·​ous t(y)u̇-ˈməlch-(ə-)wəs 

-ˈməl-chəs

: being or suggesting a tumult

a tumultuous welcome for the astronauts

tumultuously adverb