tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈtü-ˌməlt 

ˈtyü-,

 also  ˈtə-

1

a

: disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually with uproar and confusion of voices : commotion

b

: a turbulent uprising : riot

2

: hubbub, din

3

a

: violent agitation of mind or feelings

b

: a violent outburst

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of tumult in a Sentence

We had to shout to be heard over the tumult.

The country was in tumult.

Her mind was in a tumult of emotions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite Haiti’s tumult, some residents believe their country will only suffer if foreign intervention is allowed. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Can all this emotional tumult help account for the simultaneously ecstatic yet thwarted quality in so many great Bonnards? —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024

In the tumult, a fragile pro-Western government quickly took power. —Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024

Through all the tumult, Arrival still represented the U.K.’s dream to be a hub for EV-makers. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 6 Feb. 2024

Read More: How Marjorie Taylor Greene Became a Biden Campaign Punchline The current tumult within the Republican Party has Democrats cautiously optimistic. —Nik Popli, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

The delicacy of Bryan’s lyrics, and the intimacy of his songs, was stripped away at a live show and replaced by the tumult of communal experience. —Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Chun’s stewardship of Cougar athletics was the one constant through the tumult that began Aug. 4, when the Pac-12 collapsed. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024

Armstrong also writes often about feeling insane, a condition only aggravated by the tumult and cognitive dissonance of the twenty-first century. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tumulte, from Anglo-French, from Latin tumultus; perhaps akin to Sanskrit tumula noisy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tumult

noun

tu·​mult ˈt(y)ü-ˌməlt 

1

: uproar

a great tumult arose in the stands

2

: great confusion of mind