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tempestuous

adjective
tem路​pes路​tu路​ous | \ tem-藞pes-ch蓹-w蓹s How to pronounce tempestuous (audio) , -藞pesh-\

Definition of tempestuous

: of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy tempestuous weather a tempestuous relationship
Other Words from tempestuous Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about tempestuous

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Other Words from tempestuous

tempestuously adverb
tempestuousness noun

Did You Know?

Time is sometimes marked in seasons, and seasons are associated with the weather. This explains how "tempus," the Latin word for "time" could have given rise to an English adjective for things turbulent and stormy. "Tempus" is the root behind Old Latin tempestus, meaning "season," and Late Latin tempestuosus, the direct ancestor of "tempestuous." As you might expect, "tempus" is also the root of the noun "tempest"; it probably played a role in the history of "temper" as well, but that connection isn't definite.

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

 Such a move would inflame China鈥檚 already tempestuous relationship with the United States, possibly triggering economic sanctions. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "Why Beijing Is So Reluctant To Suppress Protests in Hong Kong," 19 Aug. 2019 Except for the tempestuous opening notes, however, Kalmar鈥檚 performance proved straightforward at best, pallid at worst. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Classical reviews: Perlman鈥檚 triumph at Ravinia; Grant Park鈥檚 disappointing finale," 18 Aug. 2019 The television show, available on demand, also launched a new creative partnership鈥攖hankfully a much less tempestuous one鈥攂etween the show鈥檚 supervising music producer/music director/composer Alex Lacamoire and music supervisor Steven Gizicki. — Melinda Newman, Billboard, "'Hamilton's' Alex Lacamoire and 'La La Land's' Steven Gizicki on 'Fosse/Verdon's' Dream Musical Collaboration," 18 June 2019 In arguing for the changes, Erdogan鈥檚 supporters had invoked Turkey鈥檚 history of tempestuous politics, current security threats and the need to streamline an unwieldy bureaucracy. — Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, "As Erdogan prepares for new term, Turkey dismisses more than 18,000 civil servants," 8 July 2018 The finding is providing a glimpse into the tempestuous nature of our solar system before terrestrial planets like the Earth and Mars were formed. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "These diamonds are from one of our solar system's 'lost planets'," 17 May 2018 Richter is terrific as the troubled, tempestuous youngster. — Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Free Willy': THR's 1993 Review," 16 July 2019 All that's missing now is a tempestuous English striker who joins Almiron on his journey from Newcastle to Real Madrid. — SI.com, "Twitter Reacts as Real Madrid Recreate Plot of 'Goal!' With Pursuit of Newcastle's Miguel Almiron," 22 June 2019 The tempestuous weather here in Northern California calls for a versatile defense鈥攁nd lately I鈥檝e been reaching for this anorak, which uses a waterproof cotton originally designed to protect Royal Air Force pilots against wind and rain. — Sunset Staff, Sunset, "Slather This Sauce, Peep These Petals, and 7 Other Things You Should See & Do This Memorial Day Weekend," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tempestuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of tempestuous

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for tempestuous

Middle English tempestuous, Latinization of tempestous, borrowed from Anglo-French, re-formation of Late Latin tempestu艒sus, from tempestu-, probably extracted from Latin tempest奴t-, tempest奴s, archaic variant of tempest膩t-, tempest膩s "stretch of time, season, weather, tempest entry 1" + -艒sus -ous

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More Definitions for tempestuous

tempestuous

adjective
How to pronounce tempestuous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of tempestuous

literary : affected by a tempest
: full of strong emotions (such as anger or excitement)

See the full definition for tempestuous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

tempestuous

adjective
tem路​pes路​tu路​ous | \ tem-藞pes-ch蓹-w蓹s How to pronounce tempestuous (audio) \

Kids Definition of tempestuous

: very stormy

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More from Merriam-Webster on tempestuous

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with tempestuous

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tempestuous

Spanish Central: Translation of tempestuous

Nglish: Translation of tempestuous for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of tempestuous for Arabic Speakers

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