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.
Wall Street’s main “fear gauge” hasn’t exactly reflected the extreme recent tumult either, a trend MarketWatch highlighted in June.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
The scope of the catastrophe quickly overwhelmed a country of 28 million battered by years of economic crisis and political tumult.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Since that tumult, Reyna has bounced around clubs and found only scattered playing time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
In 1971, the decision to sever the dollar’s last link from gold came amid huge domestic tumult, including the opposition to the seemingly endless Vietnam War, plus growing racial tensions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
All over Levittown and the smaller, nearby communities that feed into Truman, it isn’t usually poverty I observe, but rather the steady, low-simmering tumult of economic and family instability.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
