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

Disney's deal is also a coup for OpenAI amid a tumultuous time for the stock market, as some worry that AI investment and optimism may lead to a bubble reminiscent of the 1990s dot-com boom. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025

Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal star in Eddington, set during the tumultuous summer of May 2020 during the Covid pandemic. —Robert Lang, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025

His two-year stint in Denver was tumultuous. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025

That’s what Jens Eskelund, president, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the launch of a report on supply chain risks, and as businesses look ahead to the new year after a tumultuous 2025. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025

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