tumultuous

adjective

tu·​mul·​tu·​ous tu̇-ˈməl-chə-wəs How to pronounce tumultuous (audio)
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 factionEdward Gibbon
3
: 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.
Recent Examples on the Web Boeing is facing a second lawsuit from passengers aboard the tumultuous Alaska Airlines flight that’s grabbed headlines since January. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Amidst the tumultuous and inconsistent performances from Manchester United players, one individual has quietly emerged as the club's most improved and important player during the 23/24 campaign: Diogo Dalot. Liam Canning, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 There was a flashpoint, sometime during his lone season at the University of Tennessee at Martin in the middle of his tumultuous football career, when everything changed for Eyabi Okie. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024 In the tumultuous months before Oct. 7, reserve soldiers played a key role in the anti-government protests under the umbrella of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, a grass-roots organization. Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 With higher population density, there is more adult conflict — fighting females, tumultuous males. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The divorce filing marks the latest step in the pair’s tumultuous relationship, which has played out on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 Williams, for four years in a complicated and fascinating USC assistant-coaching career – with a tumultuous interim head-coach stint in 2021 – only built upon a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Despite facing a tumultuous period, particularly after the FTX crisis, Solana has demonstrated remarkable resilience and regained its footing. Tyler Shepherd, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tumultuous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see tumult

First Known Use

circa 1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tumultuous was circa 1548

Dictionary Entries Near tumultuous

Cite this Entry

“Tumultuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumultuous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tumultuous

adjective
tu·​mul·​tu·​ous t(y)u̇-ˈməlch-(ə-)wəs How to pronounce tumultuous (audio)
-ˈməl-chəs
: being or suggesting a tumult
a tumultuous welcome for the astronauts
tumultuously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tumultuous

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