tempest-tossed
/'tempisttost/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Pounded or hit repeatedly by storms or adversities: Describes something or someone that has been violently and repeatedly struck by a severe storm or, metaphorically, by a series of great difficulties or misfortunes. It conveys a sense of being battered, harassed, and left in a state of turmoil.
Usage
- The word tempest-tossed is primarily used in a literary or formal context. It can describe a literal ship caught in a storm, but it is more commonly used figuratively to describe a person, group, or situation enduring severe and relentless hardship.
Examples
- Literal:
- The tempest-tossed ship finally found safe harbor after days at sea.
- Figurative:
- After years of war, the tempest-tossed nation struggled to rebuild.
- He felt like a tempest-tossed soul, lost in a sea of grief and uncertainty.
Advanced Usage
- "Tempest-tossed" as a state of being: Often used to describe a prolonged period of instability or suffering.
- The company remained tempest-tossed by financial scandals and leadership crises for nearly a decade.
Variants and Related Words
- Tempest (n): A violent, windy storm. This is the root noun from which the adjective is derived.
- Storm-tossed (adj): A very close synonym, meaning tossed about by a storm. It is often used interchangeably with "tempest-tossed."
- Weather-beaten (adj): Worn or damaged by exposure to the weather; can imply enduring hardship but is less intense and more literal than "tempest-tossed."
Synonyms
- Storm-tossed: Tossed about by a storm.
- Battered: Beaten repeatedly and violently.
- Harassed: Feeling strained and troubled.
- Beleaguered: Beset with difficulties.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "A tempest in a teapot": A great fuss or outrage over a trivial matter. This idiom shares the root "tempest" but conveys a very different meaning of a small, contained disturbance, contrasting with the vast, overwhelming chaos implied by "tempest-tossed."
Adjective
- pounded or hit repeatedly by storms or adversities