turbulent

adjective

ˈtər-byə-lənt How to pronounce turbulent (audio)
Definition of turbulentnext
1
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity the turbulent struggle for civil rights that shook up American society in the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rough
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements the turbulent rapids of the river were certainly daunting to those of us who were new to river rafting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bleak
marked by wet and windy conditions expect turbulent weather as the cold front brings rain and sleet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tumultuous
marked by sudden or violent disturbance these are turbulent, dangerous times in a region known for being a powder keg

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turbulent Brizé’s latest is about a woman swimming in the turbulent waters of middle management, trying to both appease her superiors and deal with problematic employees who can’t seem to get along. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 The mathematical problem concerns the Navier-Stokes equations, which govern the flow of fluids—from the whirlpool circling your bathtub’s drain to the turbulent winds El Niño hurls across the North American continent. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 Despite this turbulent family history, the couple arrived back in the country late last month, along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who have been enrolled in British schools. — Max Foster, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 In childhood, in adulthood, in her old age, Evans was besotted by dreams, turbulent, awesome, pictorial dreams. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turbulent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turbulent
  1. violent
  2. rough
  3. bleak
  4. tumultuous
  5. ferocious
  6. wild
  7. rainy
  8. sporadic
Adjective
  • Despite the increasingly violent grand guignol on show, there’s actually a lot of nuance here, in its discussion not just of loneliness but the transactional nature of modern relationships.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026
  • His more than 32-year law enforcement career has included leadership assignments in violent crimes, patrol and special investigations, and homicide and robbery investigations.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of violent
Adjective
  • His rough exterior and no-nonsense approach tend to typecast him as a football machine devoid of personality or emotion.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Mercury's rough surface, continually reshaped by debris hurled from impact craters, may have hidden the true extent of the loss, according to the researchers whose findings appear in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Using the pretense of a documentary film crew, the show follows the excruciatingly dull workday experiences of a paper supply company in a drab office in a bleak industrial estate in Slough, England.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • India's quarterly economic growth has exceeded expectations several times over the past year, defying a bleak global trade environment, high energy prices and geopolitical uncertainties.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Kopple also understandably expands the scope of her film to incorporate recent tumultuous political history.
    — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Five years ago, Scott left the Pac-12 after a controversial, increasingly tumultuous tenure.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of tumultuous
Adjective
  • Giamatti makes Jerry ferocious but not monstruous, a man who certainly likes barking orders at various underlings but loves making good theater even more.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Up to this point, Ghostface victims have been stabbed with Buck 120 hunting knives, crushed by garage doors, shot, electrocuted, and thrown off rooftops in ferocious, balls-to-the-wall Scream fashion.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • With how the current postseason schedule is set up, the Jays could get through a wild-card round and five-game series with just three starters.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Inspired by real events, the six-parter centers on the first criminal investigation in Spain into the killing of a wild animal, following the death of bear Cachou in the Pyrenees’ Aran Valley in 2020.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • Budget Director Ray Baker said Miami-Dade should have about $500 million in its rainy-day fund, but the county has less than $90 million available to tap after a calamity like a hurricane.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The park’s sand dunes are striped with turquoise and emerald lagoons (which accumulate during the rainy season), creating the effect of infinitely repeating oases.
    — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rainy
Adjective
  • While Cannes has been far more sporadic in its support of the form, and Berlin tends to offer quantity at the expense of quality, Venice has consistently brought the bangers — and the 2026 selection looks to be among its best yet.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The clear-cutting of swaths of trees led to sporadic dust storms while, at night, the data center’s bright white lights can be seen from their homes and obscure the stars, according to the complaint.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of sporadic

Browse Nearby Words

turbulence
turbulent
turbulently
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turbulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turbulent. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All