turbulent
adjUK /ˈtɜːbjələnt/ · CA, US /ˈtɝbjələnt/
Etymology From Middle English turbulent, from Middle French turbulent, from Latin turbulentus, from turba (“disorder, tumult, crowd”).
1
Violently disturbed or agitated; tempestuous, tumultuous.
- It is dangerous to sail in turbulent seas.
2
Being in, or causing, disturbance or unrest.
- The mid-19th century was a turbulent time in American history.
- The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account. That is a very American position.2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
- Derived terms
- gravitoturbulent, gravoturbulent, macroturbulent, microturbulent, nonturbulent, turbulate, turbulent flow, turbulently, unturbulent