tempestuous

tem·pes·tu·ous

adjective \tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs, -ˈpesh-\

Definition of TEMPESTUOUS

: of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy <tempestuous weather> <a tempestuous relationship>

— tem·pes·tu·ous·ly adverb

— tem·pes·tu·ous·ness noun

Examples of TEMPESTUOUS

1. <order was restored to the court after the judge put a stop to the defendant's tempestuous outburst>
2. <in terms of social change, the 1960s are generally considered the most tempestuous decade in recent American history>

Origin of TEMPESTUOUS

Middle English, from Late Latin tempestuosus, from Old Latin tempestus season, weather, storm, from tempus

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to TEMPESTUOUS

Synonyms

bang-bang, blood-and-guts, convulsive, cyclonic, explosive, ferocious, fierce, furious, hammer-and-tongs, hot, knock-down, drag-out (or knock-down-and-drag-out), paroxysmal, rabid, rough, stormy, violent, tumultuous, turbulent, volcanic

Antonyms

nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful

Related Words

barbarous, brutal, savage, vicious; antagonistic, hostile; aggressive, assertive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent; combustible, volatile; agitated, frantic, frenzied, mad; cataclysmal (or cataclysmic), destructive, ruinous

Near Antonyms

calm, halcyon, pacific, serene, tranquil; nonbelligerent, unaggressive

Rhymes with TEMPESTUOUS

incestuous