stormy
Americanadjective
-
affected, characterized by, or subject to storms; tempestuous.
a stormy sea.
-
characterized by violent commotion, actions, speech, passions, etc..
a stormy debate.
adjective
-
characterized by storms
-
subject to, involving, or characterized by violent disturbance or emotional outburst
Usage
What does stormy mean? Stormy literally describes weather that has resulted in storms or that indicates that storms are coming—especially conditions like dark clouds, strong winds, thunder, lightning, and rain. It is often used in the phrase stormy weather. It can also be used to describe a place that frequently has storms. Stormy can also be used in a figurative way to describe a situation that’s full of conflict and commotion, as in Things got a bit stormy at the council meeting when members started making accusations against each other. Example: Expect stormy skies on your commute this morning—it looks like we’ll get some intense rainstorms starting around 9 o’clock.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stormy
1150–1200; Middle English; Old English stormig. See storm, -y 1
Explanation
Whether it’s your temper or the month of May, something characterized by turmoil and unpredictable outbursts can be called stormy. The word stormy describes weather conditions like thunder, lightning, dark clouds, wind, and pelting rain. The word also can be applied more broadly to describe things that seem as volatile and unpredictable as the weather, like a stormy debate that can get loud and angry, or a stormy relationship that is characterized by frequent outbursts of emotion, like a downpour of feelings.
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.
Appeared in the January 24, 2026, print edition as 'A Sunny Politician in a Stormy Age'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
The interviews with Case and McFadden feature in Starmer's Stormy Year, a BBC Radio 4 documentary available on BBC Sounds and on Radio 4 on Monday at 11am.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025
Stormy seas along the California coast calmed a bit for the Christmas holiday, but powerful ocean waves were expected to return to the Bay Area for the rest of the week.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2024
Instead, the guilty verdict appears farther down, in the sixth paragraph of the article’s lead section and in a separate subsection about the Stormy Daniels case.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2024
“I was thinking something like ‘The Great Kate Weather Machine and her Stormy Companions,’” said Kate.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
