tumultuous
Americanadjective
-
full of tumult or riotousness; marked by disturbance and uproar.
a tumultuous celebration.
- Synonyms:
- violent, turbulent, uproarious
-
raising a great clatter and commotion; disorderly or noisy.
a tumultuous crowd of students.
- Synonyms:
- boisterous
-
highly agitated, as the mind or emotions; distraught; turbulent.
- Synonyms:
- unquiet
adjective
-
uproarious, riotous, or turbulent
a tumultuous welcome
-
greatly agitated, confused, or disturbed
a tumultuous dream
-
making a loud or unruly disturbance
tumultuous insurgents
Other Word Forms
- nontumultuous adjective
- nontumultuously adverb
- nontumultuousness noun
- tumultuously adverb
- tumultuousness noun
- untumultuous adjective
- untumultuously adverb
- untumultuousness noun
Etymology
Origin of tumultuous
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin tumultuōsus, from tumultu(s) tumult + -ōsus -ous
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.
U.S. stock futures fell Sunday, after a weekend slide by bitcoin and Friday’s massive sell-off in precious metals capped a tumultuous first month of 2026.
U.S. stock futures fell Sunday, following a weekend slide by bitcoin and Friday’s massive sell-off in precious metals capped a tumultuous first month of 2026.
U.S. stock futures fell Sunday, along with bitcoin, after Friday’s massive sell-off in precious metals capped a tumultuous first month of 2026.
From MarketWatch
This new volume expands on that sentiment, serving as another urgent manifesto for our tumultuous time.
From Los Angeles Times
Now attention turns to the league to see if Danny Rohl's domestically resurgent Rangers can rescue a season which began in such tumultuous circumstances.
From BBC
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.
