vortex

/ˌvɔrˈtɛks/

/ˈvɔtɛks/

Other forms: vortices; vortexes

Think vortex and picture a tornado or whirlpool — swirling around, causing destruction.

If you picture a whirlpool spinning and draining like water out of a bathtub, you'll get a pretty good impression of what a vortex looks like. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz found out first-hand the meaning of vortex as she and her house whirled around in the funnel cloud of a tornado. In a figurative sense, vortex can be used to talk about something that seems like it is whirling out of control, all consuming, or chaotic. This may include exam week, your relationships, or your life in general.

Definitions of vortex

1. noun

   a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
   synonyms: maelstrom, whirlpool

   types:

   Charybdis

   (Greek mythology) a ship-devouring whirlpool lying on the other side of a narrow strait from Scylla

   type of:

   current, stream

   a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes)
2. noun

   the shape of something rotating rapidly
   synonyms: convolution, swirl, whirl

   type of:

   round shape

   a shape that is curved and without sharp angles