kerfuffle

noun

ker·​fuf·​fle kər-ˈfə-fəl How to pronounce kerfuffle (audio)
plural kerfuffles
informal
: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict
In all the kerfuffle, nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly.J. K. Rowling
It's not the only school with dress code issues; almost every week there's a local story about some kerfuffle over what kids wear to school.Belinda Luscombe

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The Evolution of Kerfuffle

Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers. The addition of car-, possibly from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “wrong” or “awkward,” didn’t change its meaning much. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, which in the 20th century was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle, referring to a more figurative feather-ruffling. There is some kerfuffle among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by onomatopoeic words like kerplunk that imitate the sound of a falling object hitting a surface.

Examples of kerfuffle in a Sentence

predictably, the royal scandal caused quite a kerfuffle on Fleet Street
Recent Examples on the Web Fans of the Fab Four know, of course, that The Beatles at Shea Stadium is already a thing that exists, or at least existed, though it has been mired in various rights kerfuffles for years. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Oct. 2024 Jeremy Brock Director: Julian Jarrold The first two installments focused on pre-Internet kerfuffles stirred up by the British press, while A Very Royal Scandal is set in the past decade and practically features social media notifications as a main character. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024 Even before that kerfuffle, the CPSC had launched a task force about gas stoves and indoor air quality. Jeff Brady, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024 To say the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express causes a kerfuffle at stations is an understatement. Kate Lloyd, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for kerfuffle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kerfuffle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of carfuffle, from Scots car- (probably from Scottish Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward) + fuffle to become disheveled

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kerfuffle was in 1908

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Dictionary Entries Near kerfuffle

Cite this Entry

“Kerfuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kerfuffle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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