Thesaurus results for MAELSTROM

maelstrom

noun

ˈmāl-strəm

as in vortex

water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center our rubber raft got caught in a maelstrom in a particularly rough stretch of white water

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maelstrom Writing is certainly intense mindfulness, but writing heads into the maelstrom, the flood, the hurricane, the flames, the clear wet sky. —

Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026 Before diving into the ongoing maelstrom of Iran peace talks, Jon Stewart spent several minutes of his opening Daily Show monologue to address President Donald Trump‘s fast-tracking of access to psychedelic drug treatments. —

Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026 In 2019, there was a maelstrom of seismic activity near Kīlauea, deep below the town of Pāhala. —

Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026 In the maelstrom of modern war, presumed certainties crumble like piecrust. —

George F. Will, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for maelstrom

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maelstrom

vortex

Noun

Zachary Taylor, who was asking for a five-year sentence, described him as an impressionable young man who suffered from depression and was pulled into the algorithmic vortex of hate speech on social media.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 13 May 2026
The winds across Antarctica's frozen landscape have carved incredible, swirling vortexes in the clouds above the icy terrain.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 12 May 2026