torrential
- adjective
- /tɔːˈrɛnʃəl/
- Specialized
:
torrencial
- This causes torrential river flows into the ocean, carrying minerals and biological material necessary to the formation of the rich plankton on which the fish depend for food.
Examples
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They were walking down a path that had been carved out by a torrential flow of water sometime in the Martian past.
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This is this is borderline torrential with a shelter.
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That traditional concepts of national sovereignty are unable to cope with torrential transborder flows of not only money and information but also environmental issues.
Academic text (1992) -
But when MacDonald advanced across the Katzbach River, torrential rain and flooding caused chaos among his troops.
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But when MacDonald advanced across the Katzbach River, torrential rain and flooding caused chaos among his troops.
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The dataflow rumbled on, a torrential waterfall beneath the surface of his consciousness...
Fiction book (1994) -
When I was a small child, the very concept of hurricanes terrified me, what with all of their moisture and millibars and torrential winds and flying palm trees.
Blog text (32) -
Finally, it means 'flood', a word of some use in Douala, where neighborhoods like Yamguen's are constantly being reshaped by a combination of torrential rains and nonexistent plumbing, resulting, quite literally, in an architecture of the ephemeral.
Academic text (2009) -
The torrential rain flooded the streets, leaving many cars stranded.
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Scientists studied the effects of torrential water flows on the erosion of the riverbank.
Synonyms
About a flood, especially a very large or ancient one
Antonyms
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word torrential comes from torrent, which means a fast, powerful flow of water from a root that means 'rushing'. So scientists use torrential to talk about processes shaped by quick, strong water flow, like valleys made by sudden floods and fast erosion.