Make Your Point: TUMULT

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pronounce TUMULT:

TOO mult

connect this word to others:

I wanted to explore the word tumult because, without looking it up, I really couldn't explain its meaning! I know that something tumultuous is loud or chaotic, but what's a tumult, exactly? And is there some image or core concept lingering inside the word's history?

So I looked it up! A tumult is an uproar or a disturbance, and in its most literal, etymological sense, it's a swelling of noise, movement, or excitement. So, tumult is related to other words about swelling, like tumor and tu__d ("swollen or puffed-up, often with too many fancy words").

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Tumult" traces back to the Latin tumere, "to swell up, or to be excited."

Since the 1400s, we've used "tumult" to mean "a riot, an uproar, or a noisy or disorderly crowd of angry people."

And more figuratively, we use it to mean "a loud, confusing, or even violent kind of movement or feeling."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, usually the uncountable kind: "We couldn't hear each other above the tumult at the concert;" "The nation erupted in tumult after the murder of George Floyd."

Also the countable kind: "A tumult erupted after George Floyd's murder."

Other forms:

You might be more familiar with the adjective, "tumultuous," as in "Presidential elections here are tumultuous."

The adverb is "tumultuously," as in "The surreal American election barrels tumultuously toward a conclusion" (New York Times).

how to use it:

When you want a formal, dramatic synonym of "strife," "chaos," or "commotion," and you want it to express intense noise, confusion, and bad feelings, pick "tumult."

You might talk about a tumult of things: "a tumult of voices," "the tumult of shouts and demands," "a tumult of crashing ocean waves," "the... tumult of economic and family instability" (Michael Sokolove).

Or you might talk about things happening in a tumult, or amid a tumult.

Or, you might talk about a tumult that erupts, grows, subsides, or dies down.

examples:

"Sam heard a burst of hoarse singing, blaring of horns and banging of gongs, a hideous clamour... Sam yelled and brandished Sting, but his little voice was drowned in the tumult. No one heeded him."
— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers, 1954

"The 180-year-old Philharmonic, which is still recovering from the tumult of the pandemic and grappling with longstanding box-office declines, is hoping that a more glamorous hall with better sound will lure new audiences."
— Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 8 October 2022

has this page helped you understand "tumult"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "tumult" without saying "din" or "turbulence."

try it out:

Here's the narrator in M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II:

"My spirits were in a tumult: On the one hand, my heart trembled with anticipation... I found myself surprised with hope... I absurdly wished we could remain here, ever stranded, nestled in this tenuous moment; and yet, at the selfsame instant, I thought on those who encircled us, threatening, and wished my joy at the liberties I now took could blast them where they stood... and having thought thus, I found my hands wishing for a more devastating instrument than a violin; and scarcely was sensible of which emotion extended dominion over my disorganized nerves."

What a fantastic example of an emotional tumult: a mental mess of noise, disorder, and conflict.

With that in mind as an example, talk about a time your spirits were in a tumult. Or, if that's too personal, talk about a time another fictional character's spirits were in a tumult.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Make Your Point Before & After!

I'll give you a clue, and you give me a verbal mashup including at least one word or phrase we've studied before.

For example, if I give you "It's the kind of theatrical stage setting that encourages the actors to radically overact," then you give me "mise en scenery chewing," a mashup of "mise en scene" and "scenery chewing."

Try this one today: It's the exhilaration of living your life while vacationing in Vegas and/or listening to Elvis.

To reveal the first two hints, highlight the hidden white text.

Hint 1: The number of words in this Before & After is... five.

Hint 2: The first word in this Before & After is... "joie."

Hint 3: Use this term.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of TUMULT could be

A. LOVE.
B. HOPE.
C. PEACE.

2. The storyline in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows resolves in a "tumult:" "_____."

A. Neville's toad... found lurking in a corner of the toilets
B. something heavy... sliding across the floor beneath the table
C. outpourings of jubilation and mourning, of grief and celebration

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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