turbulent.

1. Moving with chaotic fluctuations and swirling currents rather than a smooth flow.

2. Characterized by conflict, instability, or rapid unpredictable change.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• turbulent water
• turbulent airflow

On the page

Turbulent air shook the aircraft over the ridge.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting / environment. Forms: Comparative more turbulent; superlative most turbulent when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: setting, description. Commonness: moderately common.