tumultuous

Etymology

From Old French tumultuous (modern French tumultueux), from Latin tumultuōsus (“restless, turbulent”), from tumultus (“disturbance, uproar, violent commotion, tumult; agitation, disturbance, excitement”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns).

adj

1. Characterized by loud, confused noise.
   Rage with Iambicks, arm'd Archilocus / Numbers for Dialogue and Action fit, / And Favourites of the Dramatick Muſe. / Fierce, Lofty, Rapid, whoſe commanding Sound / Awes the tumultuous Noiſes of the Pit, / And whoſe peculiar Province is the Stage. 1709, Horace, translated by [Wentworth Dillon, 4th] Earl of Roscommon, Horace: Of the Art of Poetry: A Poem, London: Printed and sold by H[enry] Hills,[…], →OCLC, page 5
   Down showers tumultuous music from the belfry of Old Trinity— / Merry chiming for His birth, and gave songs for His Divinity! 1865 February, “Christmas at Trinity”, in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, volume XXX, number CLXXVII, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers,[…], →OCLC, page 335
   "Flynn! Flynn! Mike Flynn!" came surging a tumultuous roar from the crowd. 1917 December, Howard Philip Rhoades, “Home Town Homage”, in The Black Cat: Clever Short Stories, volume XXIII, number 3, Salem, Mass.: Shortstory Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 23
2. Causing or characterized by tumult; chaotic, disorderly, turbulent.
   And ſeeing theſe Tumultuous and Rebellious Men do more immediately vent their Malice on ſome of their Fellow-Subjects and Fellow-Protestants, who will be true to their Oaths, and their Obligations to the King, whom God has placed over them, may not one humbly ask, As for theſe Sheep, what have they done? What Cauſe is there whereby an Account may be given of theſe tumultuous Inſurrections against them? 24 July 1715, Samuel Rosewell, The Unreasonableness of the Present Riotous and Tumultuous Proceedings: As are Directed against His Majesty King George; and His Faithful Subjects, the Protestant Dissenters:[…], London: Printed for M. Lawrence,[…], →OCLC, page 17
   A tumultuous waterway, the Yangtze ranks second after the Amazon in terms of discharge. Fed by copious amounts of melting snow and also heavy rains, the river's flow is 10 times greater than China's Huang Ho (Hwang River, Huanghe; also known in English as the Yellow River). 2007, Laurie Burnham, Rivers, Chelsea House, page 43
   In his first address to a joint session of Congress, after a tumultuous first month in office, Mr [Donald] Trump delivered a conventional speech in a conventional manner. 1 March 2017, Anthony Zurcher, “Trump Addresses Congress: A Kinder, Gentler President”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 2018-02-02