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 of tumultuous

• 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

This is a Villa team with the lowest net spend of any team in the top flight (£31million or $42m at current exchange rates), following a tumultuous summer in which they were stifled by financial restrictions. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026

Scores of lawmakers are leaving Congress, although the total is far from the previous record of 150 freshmen in 1933 and falls short of other tumultuous years since then. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026

In these tumultuous times, families are increasingly keeping their children at home, teaching them to carry identification as a shield against the uncertainties posed by ICE. —Kirsten John Foy, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Joe Arias just opened Frenchie Wine Bar in Dolores Heights five months ago, during a tumultuous time for the wine industry. —Amanda Hari, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see tumult

First Known Use

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