tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy

tempestuous weather

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun

Did you know?

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.”

Synonyms of tempestuous

• violent
• turbulent
• ferocious
• fierce
• furious
• rough
• volcanic

Examples of tempestuous in a Sentence

order was restored to the court after the judge put a stop to the defendant's tempestuous outburst

in terms of social change, the 1960s are generally considered the most tempestuous decade in recent American history

Recent Examples on the Web

Also, stars in this frenzied state aren’t terribly stable; the fusion rate can be tempestuous, and the star undergoes incredibly violent paroxysms. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026

Last month, the Staten Island Advance reported that a tempestuous turkey briefly faced off with an MTA bus at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Forest Avenue. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026

But the future of the USMCA , which took effect July 1, 2020, is cloudy as the three countries begin what could be a tempestuous attempt to renew the pact this year. —ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

And when Varley returns to Portia after a stint with the manipulative and tempestuous Lady Penwood (Katie Leung), that’s not Bridgerton simply regressing to a status quo. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tempestuous, Latinization of tempestous, borrowed from Anglo-French, re-formation of Late Latin tempestuōsus, from tempestu-, probably extracted from Latin tempestūt-, tempestūs, archaic variant of tempestāt-, tempestās "stretch of time, season, weather, tempest entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tempestuous

• incestuous

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Kids Definition

tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: violent sense 1, stormy

a tempestuous sea

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun