turbulency

8.1

Unstable, swirling movement of air or water with sudden unpredictable currents

noun
/ˈtɜrbjələnsɪ/

Specialized

: turbulencia

The airplane experienced severe turbulency during the storm.

Examples

Sudden turbulency in the atmosphere can disrupt airplane flights and cause discomfort for passengers.
Ocean currents sometimes display strong turbulency near the rocky coastline.
The engineer studied the turbulency in the river flow before designing the bridge.
The turbulency made the race more exciting!
Sudden turbulency in the atmosphere can disrupt airplane flights and cause discomfort for passengers.
The engineer studied the turbulency in the river flow before designing the bridge.
Ocean currents sometimes display strong turbulency near the rocky coastline.

Synonyms

turbulence

vsturbulency

Specialized

7 6.3

Chaotic movement in a liquid or gas that causes swirling

is unstable motion in fluids that stresses eddies and unpredictable currents

turbulent flow

vsturbulency

Specialized

7.9

Fast, changing movement of water or air that makes swirls

focuses on unstable fluid movement with eddies but in a general sense

boisterousness

vsturbulency

8.6

Strong, rough waves and wind at sea that make sailing dangerous

is about unstable movement inside fluids like air or water generally

tumultuousness

vsturbulency

9.0

A state of loud noise and confusion

refers to unstable fluid movement rather than general noise or confusion

Antonyms

stability

363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

flow

188 1.0

A steady movement of liquid or gas

smoothness

1 2.6

How something works without pauses or problems

How Turbulent

turbulency

Specialized

8.1

laminar flow

Specialized

1 6.4

Surface Forms

turbulency singular

turbulencies plural

Morphology

turbulency = turbulence (transparent) = turbul + ency

Formally a variant nominalization corresponding to 'turbulence' (‑ency vs. ‑ence); learners who know 'turbulence' can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Turbulency comes from the old Latin root turba, meaning 'crowd' or 'confusion', and is also the base of words like disturb and turbulent. Imagine a crowd pushing and moving in every direction — that image shows why air or water can break into wild, mixed movement. So turbulency means chaotic, unpredictable motion in a fluid like air or water.