turbulent

adjective

ˈtər-byə-lənt How to pronounce turbulent (audio)
Definition of turbulentnext
1
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity the turbulent struggle for civil rights that shook up American society in the 1960s

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2
as in rough
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements the turbulent rapids of the river were certainly daunting to those of us who were new to river rafting

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3
as in bleak
marked by wet and windy conditions expect turbulent weather as the cold front brings rain and sleet

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4
as in tumultuous
marked by sudden or violent disturbance these are turbulent, dangerous times in a region known for being a powder keg

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turbulent Current City manager Enzo Maresca will have to try focus his plethora of star players – such as striker Erling Haaland – after what must have been a turbulent week for everyone involved at the club. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 The Democrat emerged from a crowded primary by pitching himself as a steady hand in turbulent times. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026 His elevation to chair came during an unusually turbulent period for CMS. — Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026 Calls for transparency After reading Kyker’s comments, people close to the church contacted the paper with information about Skaggs’ turbulent involvement with the congregation. — Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turbulent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turbulent
  1. violent
  2. rough
  3. bleak
  4. tumultuous
  5. ferocious
  6. wild
  7. rainy
  8. sporadic
Adjective
  • In recent years, right-wing figures and media outlets have advanced the narrative that transgender people and those who support them are violent or dangerous to society.
    — Lisa Hagen, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, the Boeing 737 Max 8 plunged thousands of feet after a violent confrontation erupted inside its cockpit.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of violent
Adjective
  • Lemmo With this kind of kit, the Lemmo 3 should be up to the task of tackling steep inclines and all manner of rough terrain.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The controls and graphics are pretty rough on GameCube, though.
    — Verge Staff, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Whether or not this year takes the top slot in that bleak ranking is still unclear.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Its successes have provided a spark of optimism in what has otherwise been a bleak few months for Ukraine.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • The movie charts the evolution of OpenAI and dramatizes the tumultuous time when Altman was controversially fired and then rehired by the AI giant.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This is how Young has been through his tumultuous years in Carolina.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of tumultuous
Adjective
  • In the Atlantic, not a single hurricane has formed yet, a record for this late into hurricane season, due to ferocious wind shear brought on by El Niño.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When the Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in June, the natural instinct was to focus on the prodigious point production (57th all time), the volume rebounding (71st all time), the thunderous dunks and the ferocious forays to the basket.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • That set the stage for a strange wild-card game against Philadelphia in which the Eagles built a 51-7 lead and held on despite the Lions scoring 30 points down the stretch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Close to 10,000 fans who plunked down $10 a ticket on Saturday to essentially witness a glorified practice at the Sixers’ home arena went wild for James' debut.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • Thursday, as the Kansas City metro headed into a rainy weekend, the groups worked together to lay tarps on homes that had still not been covered despite their roof damage and black mold that had begun to grow.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026
  • According to the organization, monitoring so far has revealed a mixed picture, showing less pollution leaving the site in dry months, but water with high nutrient loads escaping into local waterways during rainy periods.
    — Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of rainy
Adjective
  • Foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sporadic

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Cite this Entry

“Turbulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turbulent. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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