outburst
A sudden explosion of strong feeling, like anger or laughter.
outburst in a sentence
- His angry outburst surprised everyone, because he was normally so calm and quiet.
- A sudden outburst of giggles spread through the audience when the magician's rabbit sneezed.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to outburst?
- Aquiet
- Bsilence
- Ccalm
- Dexplosion
Show the answer
D: explosion. The other three mean the opposite of outburst.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to outburst?
- Acalm
- Bfit
- Cexplosion
- Dstorm
Show the answer
A: calm. The other three mean nearly the same as outburst.
Words that mean something similar
explosion, fit, storm
Words that mean the opposite
calm, silence, quiet
More words about emotions & feelings
- outrage: A feeling of great anger and shock at something unfair.
- overwhelm: To affect someone so strongly that they can hardly cope.
- pacify: To make someone calm when they are angry or upset.
- pessimistic: Expecting the worst to happen.
- petrified: So frightened that you cannot move.
- plight: A sad or difficult situation someone is stuck in.
- qualm: A worried feeling that what you are doing might be wrong.
- ravenous: Extremely hungry, and ready to eat greedily.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test