as in outbursts
an outburst or display of excited anger
had a tantrum when he found his little sister using his model paints
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of tantrums
Wait lists cause a lot of stress in parents who are facing the realities of their kids' tantrums on a daily basis.
—
Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Peak Tantrums Child development experts say tantrums themselves are far from unusual.
—Claire Dodds, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The author approaches her subject with the weariness of a long-suffering old friend, sighingly explaining Stanton’s tantrums to newcomers.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Of course, emotional dysregulation is the opposite, and in children can manifest in outbursts, hitting, and tantrums.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
And having outsized public temper tantrums to small, reasonable changes to the schedule is doing nothing to restore the public’s faith.
—Lauren Arikan, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
That’s in part because girls don’t tend to display some of the big externalizing behaviors, like aggression or tantrums, that people tend to associate with autism in boys, Black says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
During one of her tantrums, Cathy walks by Heathcliff and other hired hands slaughtering a pig, the blood flooding the courtyard of Wuthering Heights.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff acts like a whiny little baby throughout this film, constantly throwing tantrums, running away, and slamming doors.
—Cazzie David, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Peak Tantrums Child development experts say tantrums themselves are far from unusual.
—Claire Dodds, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The author approaches her subject with the weariness of a long-suffering old friend, sighingly explaining Stanton’s tantrums to newcomers.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Of course, emotional dysregulation is the opposite, and in children can manifest in outbursts, hitting, and tantrums.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
And having outsized public temper tantrums to small, reasonable changes to the schedule is doing nothing to restore the public’s faith.
—Lauren Arikan, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
That’s in part because girls don’t tend to display some of the big externalizing behaviors, like aggression or tantrums, that people tend to associate with autism in boys, Black says.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
During one of her tantrums, Cathy walks by Heathcliff and other hired hands slaughtering a pig, the blood flooding the courtyard of Wuthering Heights.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Heathcliff acts like a whiny little baby throughout this film, constantly throwing tantrums, running away, and slamming doors.
—Cazzie David, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tantrums
Noun
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Trump’s outbursts bespoke the frustration of a thoroughly incompetent ruler who began a war with no plan for how to conduct or conclude it and was unprepared for Iran’s resistance.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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It’s been nearly two months since the BAFTA Film Awards were upended by a series of profoundly upsetting outbursts during the February ceremony.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Behind the scenes, Descovich has been a tipster for agencies that investigate schools over transgender sports and bathroom policies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
What has the behind the scenes looked like for that?—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This is all in the first three paragraphs, and the breakdowns—a capacious category that, for Lemann, seems to encompass everything from rages to amiable fugues—do not let up.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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No country appears willing to try and open the strait by force while fighting rages and Iran can target vessels with anti-ship missiles, drones, attack craft and mines.—
Jill Lawless,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities reinforced security around Jewish sites in the wake of explosions last month outside synagogues in Liege, Belgium, and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The special effects supervisor on a movie set is responsible for designing and executing practical, in-camera effects such as explosions, pyrotechnics, rigs, and atmospheric elements.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After fits and starts over the decades, Seminole County is finally moving forward in its goal of transferring its hundreds of administrative employees from an old hospital in downtown Sanford to a brand-new structure near Lake Mary.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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One way to view the Vikings’ situation is that their decision not to spend excessively in free agency to fill holes puts pressure on them to find clear fits at those positions in the draft.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Inside Inter Miami’s latest episode discusses how the new stadium looked, felt and how the operational logistics played out during its premiere last Saturday with reactions from team owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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People begin to doubt their own reactions.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Investigators later uncovered one of the largest contraband seizures in the prison's history, including more than a pound of pure methamphetamine, marijuana, cell phones, and other items hidden inside the facility.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Another was a 2-year-old (also not vaccinated), who had brain abscesses and seizures and has had lasting effects.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tantrums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tantrums. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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