maelstrom

American  

[meyl-struhm] / ˈmeɪl strəm /

noun

1. a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.

2. a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.

   the maelstrom of early morning traffic.

   Synonyms:

   bedlam, pandemonium, tumult

3. (initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

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maelstrom ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a large powerful whirlpool

2. any turbulent confusion

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Maelstrom ² British  

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

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Etymology

Origin of maelstrom

1550–60 maelstrom for def. 3; < early Dutch maelstroom, now spelling maalstroom, representing mal ( en ) to grind + stroom stream. See meal ², stream

Example Sentences

The country of 52 million, with the world’s No. 14 economy, has emerged from the maelstrom of 2025 in a geoeconomic sweet spot.

From Barron's

By morning, the clouds parted, and we found we survived the meteorological maelstrom relatively intact.

From Los Angeles Times

In the maelstrom, Root stood tall to notch one of the few milestones missing from a glittering career.

From BBC

At the same time, Salesforce is caught up in the maelstrom of artificial intelligence, and how it could disrupt its business.

From Barron's

“History” is a major player in this breathless narrative, as in “gales of history,” “maelstrom of history,” “winds of history,” “tide of history” and the “frenetic pace of history”—all within a few dozen pages.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chaos
• turbulence
• turmoil