tempestuous
adjective
tem·pes·tu·ous
tem-ˈpes-chə-wəs 
-ˈpesh-
tempestuously
adverb
tempestuousness
noun
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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.
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
An affirmative vision of what the world should be is the inspiration for many of those who, in these tempestuous early months of Trump 2.0, have taken meaningful risks—acts of American dissent.
—
Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025
The move followed a tempestuous meeting between the president and Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, on February 21.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
The new coach’s tempestuous history does create even more emphasis on the next major hire Maryland must make, a replacement for athletic director Damon Evans.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
By turns giddy, anxious, and despairing, these poems have endeared him to generations of ordinary readers who find in the tempestuous and ultimately brokenhearted poet a strikingly modern and profoundly accessible figure.
—Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempestuous
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Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025
The move followed a tempestuous meeting between the president and Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, on February 21.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
The new coach’s tempestuous history does create even more emphasis on the next major hire Maryland must make, a replacement for athletic director Damon Evans.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
By turns giddy, anxious, and despairing, these poems have endeared him to generations of ordinary readers who find in the tempestuous and ultimately brokenhearted poet a strikingly modern and profoundly accessible figure.
—Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempestuous
Cite this Entry
“Tempestuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempestuous. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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