tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy

tempestuous weather

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun

Did you know?

Time is sometimes marked in seasons, and seasons are associated with the weather. This explains how tempestās—a Latin word for "time," "season," and "weather"—gave rise to tempestuous, an English adjective for things turbulent and stormy.

Synonyms

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

Examples of tempestuous in a Sentence

order was restored to the court after the judge put a stop to the defendant's tempestuous outburst

in terms of social change, the 1960s are generally considered the most tempestuous decade in recent American history

Recent Examples on the Web

Those close to Nicole recalled her relationship with Simpson as tempestuous even in the beginning, with frequent fights and Simpson sometimes throwing her out of their shared home, The Los Angeles Times reported, with Nicole accusing Simpson of cheating. —Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

Much of the story tracks the often tempestuous relationship with her husband, David, a technology consultant. —Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

His tempestuous semi-idiocy exploding all around a juvenile softness sets up a mighty force to be curbed by Miss Monroe. —Carmel Dagan, Variety, 2 Feb. 2024

But history provides enough insight and perspective to conclude that, in general, the smart move is to stay invested with a diversified allocation, even when tempestuous times trigger the instinct to flee. —Wes Moss, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

The new president essentially promised to usher in a calmer era as the responsible grown-up to Mr. Trump’s tempestuous Twitter bomber. —Peter Baker, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024

After finally being dumped by the tempestuous Sukie, Jamie decides to lug Marian on a road trip to Tallahassee, intending to hit up all of the best gay bars on the way down. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2024

Temperatures are relatively mild and the normally tempestuous Drake Passage is calmer. —Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024

Its fluctuations affect, of course, the atmosphere more broadly but also communications on Earth because radio signals often rely on this tempestuous region. —Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tempestuous, Latinization of tempestous, borrowed from Anglo-French, re-formation of Late Latin tempestuōsus, from tempestu-, probably extracted from Latin tempestūt-, tempestūs, archaic variant of tempestāt-, tempestās "stretch of time, season, weather, tempest entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: violent sense 1, stormy

a tempestuous sea

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun