ferment

a disturbed or uneasy state the city was in ferment as its residents nervously awaited the airborne invasion that was sure to come Synonyms disquiet, unrest, fermentation, restiveness, restlessness, Sturm und Drang, turmoil, uneasiness, unquietnessRelated Words fidgets; agitation, commotion, confusion, excitement, hubbub, moil, stir, storm, trouble, tumult, tumultuousness, turbulence, upheaval, uproar, unsettlement; disruption, perturbation; agitation, anxiety, disquietude, inquietude, queasiness, tension, unease; anarchy, chaos, disorder, welterNear Antonyms order, orderlinessAntonyms calm, ease, peace, peacefulness, quiet, tranquillity (or tranquility)

to bring (something volatile or intense) into being the various social and economic factors that fermented the major cultural change during the U.S. during the 1960s Synonyms abet, brew, incite, foment, instigate, pick, provoke, raise, stir (up), whip (up)Related Words advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote, sow, stimulate; detonate, set, set off, trigger; excite, galvanize, inflame (also enflame), inspire, motivate, rouse; activate, energize, enliven, fire, invigorate, jazz (up), liven (up), pep (up), quicken, stimulate, vitalizeNear Antonyms bridle, check, constrain, curb, discourage, hold, inhibit, regulate, rein (in), restrain, tame; allay, calm, quiet, settle, soothe, still, subdue, tranquilize (also tranquillize)