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

King Charles's last few birthdays have capped off some tumultuous years, from the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to his own health issues. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

Still, that relationship became tumultuous, including an arrest, a divorce, both parties seeking restraining orders, and Nikki's attempt to gain full custody of their child. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Summer’s Over It series has largely been dedicated to her tumultuous love life, which the R&B singer confirmed in an interview with Speedy Mormon was relatively tame at the moment. —Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Nov. 2025

The transition comes amid a tumultuous time for retailers, as tariffs and sinking consumer sentiment has roiled the industry’s bottom lines. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 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