tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy

tempestuous weather

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun

Did you know?

Time is sometimes marked in seasons, and seasons are associated with the weather. This explains how tempestās—a Latin word for "time," "season," and "weather"—gave rise to tempestuous, an English adjective for things turbulent and stormy.

Synonyms

• bang-bang
• blood-and-guts
• convulsive
• cyclonic
• explosive
• ferocious
• fierce
• furious
• hammer-and-tongs
• hot
• knock-down, drag-out
• knock-down-and-drag-out
• paroxysmal
• rabid
• rough
• stormy
• tumultuous
• turbulent
• violent
• volcanic

Examples of tempestuous in a Sentence

order was restored to the court after the judge put a stop to the defendant's tempestuous outburst

in terms of social change, the 1960s are generally considered the most tempestuous decade in recent American history

Recent Examples on the Web

But there will be twists and turns in cricket's most tempestuous rivalry. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

The natural world echoes Rat’s tempestuous inner world. —Tegan Tegani, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2024

The second season of Tell Me Lies — based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Carola Lovering that follows eight tempestuous years in the life of a couple — premiered Sept. 4 on Hulu and wrapped up last week. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024

And so we’re left trying to guess at whether, say, Gladiator II can recapture the magic of the original, or if Oscar voters will flip for a movie about the London blitz, an intrigue-laden papal selection, or a tempestuous love affair in Brighton Beach. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tempestuous, Latinization of tempestous, borrowed from Anglo-French, re-formation of Late Latin tempestuōsus, from tempestu-, probably extracted from Latin tempestūt-, tempestūs, archaic variant of tempestāt-, tempestās "stretch of time, season, weather, tempest entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

tempestuous

adjective

tem·​pes·​tu·​ous tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 

-ˈpesh-

: violent sense 1, stormy

a tempestuous sea

a tempestuous relationship

tempestuously adverb

tempestuousness noun