turbulence
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A state of violent disturbance, disorder, or confusion, often in a social, political, or emotional context. 2. Instability in the atmosphere, causing irregular motions of air, which affects aircraft. 3. The unstable, irregular, or chaotic flow of a liquid or gas (like water or air), characterized by constant change and eddies.
Usage and Examples
- Social/Political/Emotional Context:
- The decade was marked by political turbulence and frequent changes in leadership.
- The news of the merger created significant turbulence within the company.
- Meteorological/Aviation Context:
- The pilot warned passengers to fasten their seatbelts due to expected air turbulence.
- The flight was smooth except for a brief period of turbulence over the mountains.
- Scientific/Fluid Dynamics Context:
- The engineer studied the turbulence in the water flowing through the pipe.
- Reducing aerodynamic turbulence is a key goal in car design.
Advanced Usage
- "Clear-air turbulence": A specific and often unpredictable type of atmospheric turbulence occurring in cloudless regions, which is particularly hazardous to aviation.
- Used metaphorically to describe periods of intense difficulty or upheaval in non-physical systems (e.g., financial markets, a person's life).
Variants and Related Words
- Turbulent (adjective): Characterized by conflict, disorder, or instability; having a chaotic or agitated motion.
- The country went through a turbulent period.
- The boat struggled in the turbulent waters.
- Laminar Flow (noun): The antonym in fluid dynamics; a smooth, orderly flow of fluid without turbulence.
Synonyms
- Upheaval: A violent or sudden change or disruption.
- Turmoil: A state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty.
- Commotion: A state of confused and noisy disturbance.
- Instability: Lack of stability; the tendency to change or fail.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- To encounter turbulence: To experience a period of difficulty or instability. (Often used literally for flying, but also metaphorically).
- The new policy encountered some political turbulence before it was passed.
- A pocket of turbulence: A localized area of instability or difficulty.
- The economy is strong overall, but there are a few pockets of turbulence in the manufacturing sector.
Noun
- a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)
- the industrial revolution was a period of great turbulence
- instability in the atmosphere
- unstable flow of a liquid or gas