tempestuous
adjective
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A deluge of words in English do double duty in describing both the weather and the various emotions, relationships, and travails of humankind. You might be glad to know (or be) someone with a sunny disposition, for example, or find yourself bored to tears by a windy speech. Since its 15th century English debut, tempestuous has also blown in two directions, used in the context of literal storms (as in “tempestuous seas”) and for personalities, arguments, etc., that are figuratively “stormy,” being characterized by strong emotions. Like its older sibling in English, the noun tempest (“a violent storm,” “uproar”), tempestuous hails via Anglo-French from the Latin word tempestās, which has multiple meanings including “stretch of time,” “season,” and “stormy weather.”
Examples of tempestuous in a Sentence
Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
From the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the 2016 election and the tempestuous Trump administrations, Comey has been at the center of some of the biggest dramas in Washington.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
But Eisner famously was forced out of the company in a shareholder rebellion that cleared the way for Iger’s leadership following a colorful and tempestuous final few years at the top that were chronicled in books like DisneyWar and The Keys to the Kingdom: How Michael Eisner Lost His Grip.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Sellers was both celebrated and controversial, known for his brilliant improvisation and chameleonic character work, as well as his tempestuous personal life.
—Josh Max, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tempestuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempestuous. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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tempestuous
adjective
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