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A deluge of words in English do double duty in describing both the weather and the various emotions, relationships, and travails of humankind. You might be glad to know (or be) someone with a sunny disposition, for example, or find yourself bored to tears by a windy speech. Since its 15th century English debut, tempestuous has also blown in two directions, used in the context of literal storms (as in “tempestuous seas”) and for personalities, arguments, etc., that are figuratively “stormy,” being characterized by strong emotions. Like its older sibling in English, the noun tempest (“a violent storm,” “uproar”), tempestuous hails via Anglo-French from the Latin word tempestās, which has multiple meanings including “stretch of time,” “season,” and “stormy weather.”
Examples of tempestuous in a Sentence
Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Fraser plays the legendary general (and future president) as a tempestuous mountain of a man, a far cry from the modest and even-keeled Eisenhower of record.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 May 2026
That faith in his ability and focus had faltered at times over the course of this tempestuous and trying campaign, but it has been restored at the last.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
My life and times with his more than 10-year regime were, at times, tempestuous, mostly because of my ignorance and adamance in the need to grow by acquisition.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tempestuous
Cite this Entry
“Tempestuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempestuous. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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tempestuous
adjective
