stormy

stormy — adjective

1. describing weather in which strong winds blow and rain or snow falls heavily, wi

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing weather in which strong winds blow and rain or snow falls heavily, with thunder and lightning at times

Example

The stormy weather forced the Lien family to cancel their weekend trip to the beach.

attributive use: stormy + weather / seas / skies

Femi looked at the dark, stormy sky and decided to stay indoors.

Common collocations
  • stormy weather
  • stormy seas
  • stormy skies
  • stormy conditions
  • stormy night
Synonyms
  • blustery

    focuses more on strong wind than on rain or thunder

  • tempestuous

    more literary and formal; can describe both weather and emotions

  • rough

    a more general term for unpleasant sea or weather conditions

Antonyms
  • calm

    the most common opposite, used for both weather and sea conditions

  • fair

    used for pleasant weather without storms

Common Mistakes

The stormy morning had only a light drizzle.
The rainy morning had only a light drizzle.
'stormy' implies strong wind and heavy rain, not just light rain.

2. involving strong feelings of anger, loud arguments, and emotional conflict — use

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

involving strong feelings of anger, loud arguments, and emotional conflict — used to describe meetings, relationships, debates, or periods of history

Example

The board meeting grew stormy after the CEO announced the job cuts.

linking verb pattern: grow / become / turn stormy

Reema and her brother had a stormy argument about their mother's hospital care.

Common collocations
  • stormy relationship
  • stormy debate
  • stormy meeting
  • stormy marriage
  • stormy session
Synonyms
  • heated

    focuses on emotional intensity but is less dramatic than 'stormy'

  • tempestuous

    more literary and suggests both passion and conflict, often in relationships

Antonyms
  • peaceful

    free from argument or conflict

  • calm

    without strong emotions or disagreement

Usage Note

Commonly used with nouns such as 'meeting', 'debate', 'relationship', 'marriage', and 'session'. Not typically applied to minor or everyday disagreements.

Common Mistakes

They had a stormy argument about which restaurant to go to.
They had a heated argument about which restaurant to go to.
'stormy' suggests serious anger or conflict, not a trivial difference of opinion.

Word family

  • storm
    nounB1
  • storm
    verbB2
  • stormily
    adverbC1
  • storminess
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe unpleasant weather, but they differ in emphasis and register. 'Stormy' is the most general and common term, covering strong wind, heavy rain or snow, and often thunder. 'Blustery' is narrower — it focuses on strong, gusty wind without necessarily involving rain or a full storm, making it milder in intensity. 'Tempestuous' is a more literary and dramatic word; it suggests a violent storm and is also frequently used figuratively for emotions. 'Rough' is a broader, more informal word that applies mainly to sea conditions ('rough seas') rather than the sky or weather in general. For everyday conversation about a windy, rainy day, 'stormy' is the best choice. If you want to describe the sea as dangerous, 'rough' works well. For a dramatic or poetic tone, 'tempestuous' fits.

stormy ↗blusterytempestuousrough ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Stormy comes from the Old English word 'stormig', formed from 'storm' (a violent weather event) and the suffix '-ig' (which later became '-y', meaning 'having the quality of'). The literal weather meaning has been in use since before the 12th century. By the 14th century, the word had developed a figurative sense describing angry emotions or heated arguments. Stormy is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch 'stormig' and German 'stürmisch'.