upheaval

noun

up·heav·al ˌəp-ˈhē-vəl

(ˌ)ə-ˈpē-

Synonyms of upheaval next

: the action or an instance of upheaving especially of part of the earth's crust

: extreme agitation or disorder : radical change

also : an instance of this

Example Sentences

The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S. the emotional upheaval of divorce a period of cultural and social upheavals The island was created by an upheaval of the ocean floor. The lake was formed by geologic upheaval.

Recent Examples on the Web Amid the upheaval, companies such as Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have laid off thousands of employees. —

Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023 Despite the economic upheaval, prison suppliers have had record profits. —

Alex Arriaga, USA TODAY, 2 May 2023 New Zealand straddles the boundary of two tectonic plates and as a result is in a constant state of upheaval. —

Bill Morris, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023 Across the world, including in other colonies, witch hunts spiked for diverse local reasons but almost always in periods of social or economic upheaval. —

Silvia Federici, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2023 At that point, the smaller body is completely torn apart by cataclysmic upheaval. —

Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 15 Mar. 2023 Compounding the upheaval, James, now ensconced as the third Laird of Rossie, frequently neglected to pay the allowance that had been bequeathed to his half brothers and half sister: some people’s blood was apparently thicker than others’. —

David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 Moving on the decline Despite the pandemic upheaval, the long-term trend of migration is slowing on a historical basis, according to the Brookings Institution. —

Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023 As the researchers threw the rodents’ social order into upheaval, the once-dominant mice began to exhibit symptoms of mouse depression. —

Byemily Underwood, science.org, 27 Jan. 2023 See More

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