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
Even before Kelly’s murder, Shaw’s childhood was tumultuous.
—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Marlee Matlin is reflecting on the role Henry Winkler played in turning her life around after her tumultuous breakup from actor William Hurt.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
As the #MeToo movement enters a tumultuous new era, experts seem torn about what Combs' case changed − if anything.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
In some ways, the new three-part Netflix docuseries Victoria Beckham is a kind of sequel to Beckham, Fisher Stevens’s four-episode ride through David’s tumultuous career.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tumultuous
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Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Marlee Matlin is reflecting on the role Henry Winkler played in turning her life around after her tumultuous breakup from actor William Hurt.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
As the #MeToo movement enters a tumultuous new era, experts seem torn about what Combs' case changed − if anything.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
In some ways, the new three-part Netflix docuseries Victoria Beckham is a kind of sequel to Beckham, Fisher Stevens’s four-episode ride through David’s tumultuous career.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tumultuous
Cite this Entry
“Tumultuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumultuous. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
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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