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tempestuous relationship

tempestuous relationship

1 8.2
Two people who have strong feelings, frequent fights, and sudden changes
  • noun
  • /tɛmˈpɛstʃuəs rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp/
translation icon : relación tempestuosa
  • Tim and I had a very tempestuous relationship.
  • a long and tempestuous relationship

Examples

  • We already have that problem with domestic violence; we don't recognize anything except the final stages as abuse, and that perpetuates the problem (look how many newspaper articles describe the scene of murder-suicides as "tempestuous relationship" or "love gone wrong" or "estrangement" even in the face of documented evidence of abuse!)

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  • "The two had a tempestuous relationship, but they were young and both were going through rebellious phases back then."

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  • The house in which Rimbaud and Verlaine lived as lovers... was demolished in 1938 to make way for a telephone exchange... where a monument to their tempestuous relationship has been erected.

  • Status: After their breakup, Ryder has had a tempestuous relationship with her ex and mutual friend Gwyneth Paltrow, who Paltrow calls "her worst frenemy."

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  • My parents had a tumultuous and tempestuous relationship filled with arguments and intense emotions.

  • The couple's tempestuous relationship was often in the headlines due to their public fights.

  • She often described her tempestuous relationship with her best friend as a rollercoaster of emotions.

Synonyms

rocky relationship
vstempestuous relationship
3 4.2

A relationship that has frequent problems and disagreements

is more emotional and unpredictable with intense volatile conflict
tinderbox of tension
vstempestuous relationship
  • Literature
9.3

A situation likely to suddenly become violent or start a fight

is ongoing volatile emotion and repeated conflict rather than sudden eruption

Antonyms

14 4.2

People who live and work together peacefully

How Stormy

tempestuous relationship
1 8.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

tempestuous + relationship

The phrase directly combines 'tempestuous' (stormy, characterized by strong turbulent emotions) with 'relationship' (a connection between people), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer a relationship marked by intense conflict and volatility. The storm/metaphor for emotional turbulence is common across languages (e.g., 'stormy relationship'), which further supports immediate compositional understanding.

Etymology

Tempestuous relationship comes from the image of a storm: tempestuous means 'stormy', so picture fights like strong winds and crashing waves. That's why the phrase now describes a relationship with constant conflict and very strong, changing feelings.