torrential
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a torrent
-
pouring or flowing fast, violently, or heavily
torrential rain
-
abundant, overwhelming, or irrepressible
torrential abuse
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of torrential
Explanation
If it's raining extremely hard, then the rain is torrential — it's absolutely pouring. Use torrential to describe something that's happening in torrents, or turbulent flowing streams. When there's a torrential storm, there's so much rain falling so fast that you'll be soaked in about three seconds. If a basketball team's offense just keeps coming and won't stop, you could call it a torrential attack. And if you take your sister's shoes without asking, she might shower you with a torrential tongue-lashing.
Vocabulary lists containing torrential
I Am Malala
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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.
Eui Seok Kang lost control of his Chevrolet Malibu in torrential rain late one night in October 2023, spun sideways across two lanes of a Texas road and was struck by a pickup truck.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
He answered even simple questions with lengthy explanations, speaking in a quick, torrential style and snapping his fingers or pinching the air for emphasis.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
A severe tropical storm moved towards Tokyo on Wednesday, with forecasters warning of floods after torrential rain battered swathes of the country and prompted calls to evacuate for hundreds of thousands of people.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
The third and longest day of the challenge, on Wednesday, was dogged by torrential rain and an unexpected reroute caused by a fire.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Here the sidewalks were shot through with arterial cracks and studded with menacing weeds that had evolved to survive torrential rain and the lack of pollinators.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
