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turmoil

noun

ˈtər-ˌmȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce turmoil (audio)
Definition of turmoilnext
1
as in unrest
a disturbed or uneasy state was in turmoil most of the night, trying to convince himself he had made the right decision

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity avoided the turmoil of the mall during the holiday season

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of turmoil And while their characters may be dealing with marital turmoil onscreen, the couple has insisted that working together in real life is a much less dramatic affair. — Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 Armenia and Georgia, two key Caucasus nations, are in political turmoil, and the situations look quite similar on the surface. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026 That film showed the constant turmoil and terror of life in Palestine. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026 Soon, an Angels’ season filled with firings, turmoil and loss after loss after loss will come to its merciful conclusion. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turmoil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turmoil
  1. unrest
  2. commotion
  3. confusion
  4. disturbance
  5. excitement
  6. stir
  7. tension
  8. hurry
Noun
  • Instead of calling for calm and letting the justice system work, too many political leaders on the left and progressive social influencers either fanned the flames of unrest or failed to act until enormous damage was done.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Already, many import-dependent countries face shortages, fiscal pressure, and in some cases a difficult choice between cutting fuel subsidies and risking unrest or maintaining them and further weakening public finances.
    — RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • No one had seen anyone enter the property or even heard any commotion that morning.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • According to the warrant, the victim was only able to escape when a coach heard the commotion, entered the locker room and told the boys to settle down.
    — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of commotion
Noun
  • Trump announced his ban in a post Friday, causing some confusion in the White House as crews from the outelts remained onsite.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This confusion of terms, says Breau, is in part because of the way American law looks at psychedelics and religion.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of confusion
Noun
  • One study links living near new Kern County oil and gas wells to higher infection risk, while massive housing and solar construction promise more soil disturbance and airborne, infectious dust.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • At first, Lara seems like a disturbance in Ruby’s fantasy of private election.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Noun
  • Wells said excitement around Meta's new AI releases , including the Muse personal agent app, gives the social media giant a story to tell during the Meta Connect conference.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz,Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The useful question is whether the choice still feels worthwhile once the excitement fades.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of excitement
Noun
  • Or use it in place of croutons by seasoning it and stir-frying.
    — Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
  • After Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon caused a stir by resigning with a grave warning about the technology's potential risks, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded with an essay saying that the industry might need to slow the pace of its work.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of stir
Noun
  • Gael is herself a little nervous, not only about the tension but about leaving Kayden.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • There had always been tensions among American Jews, and these, in Texas, had a specific character.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tension
Noun
  • Miami sacked him three times and had nine quarterback hurries.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • For the day, the Steelers had four sacks, four quarterback hurries, three additional tackles for loss and four passes batted down by defensive linemen, and four of Atlanta’s offensive linemen were called for holding at least once.
    — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurry

Browse Nearby Words

turkeys
turmoil
turmoils
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Cite this Entry

“Turmoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turmoil. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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