tumultuous

tu·mul·tu·ous

adjective \tu̇-ˈməl-chə-wəs, tyu̇-, tə-, -chəs; -ˈməlch-wəs\

Definition of TUMULTUOUS

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>

— tu·mul·tu·ous·ly adverb

— tu·mul·tu·ous·ness noun

Examples of TUMULTUOUS

1. The returning astronauts were given a tumultuous welcome.
2. The room filled with tumultuous applause.
3. 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
4. The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. —J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999
5. 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
6. 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

Origin of TUMULTUOUS

(see tumult)

First Known Use: circa 1548

Related to TUMULTUOUS

Synonyms

cataclysmal (or cataclysmic), stormy, tempestuous, convulsive, turbulent

Antonyms

nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful

Related Words

fitful, spasmodic, sporadic; boisterous, clamorous, furious, noisy, riotous

Near Antonyms

calm, peaceful, placid, serene, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, unshaken, untroubled