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
Edward Gibbon3
: marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval
tumultuous passions
tumultuously
adverb
tumultuousness
noun
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.
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
Foxx — whose extensive auditions for the role included a piano session with Charles himself — brought vivacity to an otherwise standard biopic chronicling the singer's tumultuous life.
—Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Virgil Wounded Horse, something of a vigilante, recounts the events of a tumultuous winter.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Morrison, who praised Martinez for filling a difficult role during a tumultuous time, was nonetheless candid in his assessment.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The public-private partnership to renovate the stadium, which will have a 10,000-seat capacity to balance community and professional use, has been tumultuous and was the subject of a court trial last year.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumultuous
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Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Virgil Wounded Horse, something of a vigilante, recounts the events of a tumultuous winter.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Morrison, who praised Martinez for filling a difficult role during a tumultuous time, was nonetheless candid in his assessment.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The public-private partnership to renovate the stadium, which will have a 10,000-seat capacity to balance community and professional use, has been tumultuous and was the subject of a court trial last year.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tumultuous
Cite this Entry
“Tumultuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumultuous. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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