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tempestuous

tempestuous

7 8.4
Full of strong, stormy feelings, often with loud arguments
  • adjective
  • /tɛmˈpɛstʃuəs/
translation icon : tempestuoso
  • Tim and I had a very tempestuous relationship.

And so kitchens are tempestuous, boisterous environments.

Examples

  • Rhett had never regretted or explained anything he had done in his tempestuous younger years.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Sometimes the ship of democratic liberalism must be built while sailing on the tempestuous waters of history.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The North Sea deserves its tempestuous reputation.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The friendship between the two men was a tempestuous one, as they occasionally butted heads.

    Blog text (24)
  • To her credit, she didn't dumb down the horrors of that tempestuous time.

    Blog text (9)
  • At that time, I had been married for ten years to my first husband, Larry, with whom I had recently reunited after a tempestuous separation; we were working hard to make a go of it.

    Academic text (2007)
  • A short boat trip from the Quiberon Peninsula, the island is famous for its rugged landscape and its tempestuous waters, especially on its western Atlantic seafront.

    Academic text (2015)
  • In late 1770 or early 1771, he was supplanted by the Italian dramatist Vittorio Alfieri, with whom she enjoyed a tempestuous and spectacular liaison.

    Academic text (1998)
  • My dad and I had a very tempestuous relationship for a long time.

  • The day was gloomy and tempestuous, almost beyond any other I remember.

Synonyms

wild
vstempestuous
195 2.6

Very strong in color, sound, movement, or feeling

adds the idea of stormy disturbance rather than mere vividness
tumultuous
vstempestuous
35 7.5

It is full of loud, excited activity and confusion

focuses more on stormy emotional disturbance than noisy activity
turbulent
vstempestuous
34 6.6

Full of confusion and disorder among people, politics, or events

emphasizes stormy strong emotion rather than general disorder alone
volatile
vstempestuous
34 7.4

Having sudden unpredictable changes in feelings toward others

is about sustained strong stormy emotion rather than quick mood swings
furious
vstempestuous
22 5.1

Very violent and dangerous, like a storm or strong wind

covers stormy emotional disturbance more broadly, not only anger
stormy
vstempestuous
16 3.1

Strong angry feelings and conflict between people

is the same broad sense of strong emotional disturbance
mercurial
vstempestuous
7 8.2

Changing mood or behaviour suddenly and without warning

describes persistent turbulent stormy disturbance rather than rapid mood change
volcanic
vstempestuous
2 6.8

Showing sudden strong anger that comes out quickly

tends to mean ongoing strong stormy disturbance rather than sudden eruptions
raging
vstempestuous
1 3.9

Very strong and intense, often violent and out of control

highlights turbulent stormy emotion rather than only high intensity
boisterous
vstempestuous
1 6.4

Very rough and stormy, with strong wind and big waves

is more about emotional storminess than physical agitation of forces
blusterous
vstempestuous
  • Archaic
7.9

Very strong, noisy wind that blows in sudden bursts

applies the same stormy idea more to emotional disturbance broadly

Antonyms

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

428 1.0

Calm and quiet, without noise or trouble

Compounds

Two people who have strong feelings, frequent fights, and sudden changes

Very strong winds and heavy rain that make conditions dangerous

How Turbulent

violent
  • Offensive
2.5
stormy
16 3.1
tempestuous
7 8.4
agitated
49 4.1
calm
735 1.0

Surface Forms

tempestuous positive
tempestuouser comparative
tempestuousest superlative

Morphology

tempestuous = tempest (semi-transparent) = tempest + uous

The form is clearly 'tempest' + adjective-forming suffix meaning 'full of', but the extension from literal storm to emotional or situational turbulence is a metaphorical shift that is not fully literal.

Etymology

Tempestuous comes from the word tempest, which itself comes from the Latin tempestas meaning 'storm'. So a tempestuous person, relationship, or situation is like a storm — full of strong, wild feelings and sudden change.