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
- stormily adverb
- storminess noun
- unstormily adverb
- unstorminess noun
- unstormy adjective
Etymology
Origin of stormy
1150–1200; Middle English; Old English stormig. See storm, -y 1
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.
Beneath the stormy optics of that immigration crackdown, however, lies a less-noticed reversal: America’s own citizens are leaving in record numbers, replanting themselves and their families in lands they find more affordable and safe.
Jean and Hill’s relationship, both creative and romantic, had become one of the stormiest in hip-hop.
From Los Angeles Times
However, the stormy weather has not been without consequence.
From Los Angeles Times
Better still, it even gives you hope for humanity, even if the movie’s overall forecast for society is stormy.
From Los Angeles Times
This week’s latest round of stormy weather hit Southern California with fearsome winds that downed trees and heavy precipitation that flooded roadways and dumped even more snow in the mountains.
From Los Angeles Times
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.