tumult
Americannoun
-
violent and noisy commotion or disturbance of a crowd or mob; uproar.
The tumult reached its height during the premier's speech.
- Synonyms:
- turbulence, disorder
-
a general outbreak, riot, uprising, or other disorder.
The tumult moved toward the embassy.
- Synonyms:
- mutiny, revolution, revolt
-
highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling; turbulent mental or emotional disturbance.
His placid facade failed to conceal the tumult of his mind.
- Synonyms:
- perturbation, excitement
noun
-
a loud confused noise, as of a crowd; commotion
-
violent agitation or disturbance
-
great emotional or mental agitation
Synonym Usage
See ado.
Etymology
Origin of tumult
1375–1425; late Middle English tumult ( e ) < Latin tumultus an uproar, akin to tumēre to swell
Explanation
If a principal steps into a classroom and is greeted by a tumult of voices, with the teacher shouting for his kids' attention, she will not be pleased. A tumult is a state of noisy confusion. Very often a crowd of people will cause a tumult. But your mind can also be in tumult, when you're confused and overwhelmed by strong emotions. If you want an adjective to describe these types of bewildering situations, use tumultuous. Tumult is from the Latin tumultus, "an uproar," which is related to the Latin verb tumēre, "to be excited."
Vocabulary lists containing tumult
Night
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A Christmas Carol
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It survived colonial rule, a bloodied partition, the tumult of independence and Delhi's transformation into a sprawling megacity.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Cuba has been suffering severe economic tumult led by an energy shortage that plunged 65 percent of the country into darkness on Tuesday.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
In an address to fellow Mexican diplomats, the newly minted foreign minister alluded to the atmosphere of global tumult, without naming those responsible.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
It didn’t happen right away this time, but investors who held through March’s market tumult are finding that the classic geopolitical playbook for the U.S. equity market is finally starting to pay off.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
And when Ahimaaz reached King David, who yearned to know the fate of his headlong son, Absalom, he could only say: “I saw a great tumult but I knew not what it was.”
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
