Meaning & use

tempestuous

adjective·Advanced

Marked by strong, turbulent emotion or sudden violent change, like a storm.

See it in a sentence

Their tempestuous relationship swung between passionate reconciliation and bitter argument within the same week.

The captain steered carefully through a tempestuous sea that tossed the small boat about.

A note on using this word

Tempestuous most often describes emotions or relationships, though it can still describe literal weather, its original sense.

Words with a similar meaning

turbulentstormyvolatile

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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