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.
Tumult during Feldstein Soto’s lone term in office was easier for voters to identify.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Tumult in the banking sector - the United States endured its second- and third-biggest bank failures ever last month - poses another threat.
From Washington Times • Apr. 27, 2023
Tumult in the banking sector — the United States endured its second- and third-biggest bank failures ever last month — poses another threat.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2023
Tumult in the banking sector has roiled asset prices, sending U.S. government bond yields plummeting in the past week, with some investors complaining that massive price swings have made it more difficult to trade.
From Reuters • Mar. 18, 2023
Tumult, anarchy, confusion, overspread the face of Europe; and an obscurity rests upon the transactions of that time which suffers us to discover nothing but its extreme barbarity.
From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 07 (of 12) by Burke, Edmund
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.
