Thesaurus results for UPHEAVAL

upheaval

noun

ˌəp-ˈhē-vəl

Definition of upheaval

as in unrest

a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) the government can no longer control the social upheaval brought about by the collapse of the country's economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 upheaval More upheaval followed with General Counsel Karen Buffkin, who had been appointed to act in Maduko’s stead, and was put on administrative leave on May 29. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026 Anti-immigrant marches and vigilante groups have driven a wave of social upheaval in South Africa this year, often blaming foreign migrants for the country's high crime rate. — Rael Ombuor The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 That was, until Friday night, when the team proved they weren’t entirely insulated from upheaval surrounding it. — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026 There’s been a major creative upheaval in Milan over recent seasons, with new designers installed at the majority of Italy’s luxury houses. — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for upheaval

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upheaval

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

Barring a cultural revolution, its current students will more or less be running the country from about 2045 to 2070.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Alongside this, spurred by the digital revolution, Italian culture is shifting away from solitary individualism towards a rekindled sense of community.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolution

Noun

By 1926, Caltech was running the Seismo Lab with the Carnegie Institution, where seismologists like Beno Gutenberg and Charles Richter would deepen our understanding of earthquakes.

— Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2026
But among their best qualities, Dick Riordan was arrogantly confident, Jim Hahn had a steady hand on the tiller, Antonio Villaraigosa was tireless and passionate, Eric Garcetti was a long-range thinker on earthquakes, water and energy.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of earthquake

Noun

Nissen said the team was prepared to play despite the week’s turmoil, a sentiment echoed by several players, the Tribune reported.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
The sneaker industry as a whole is in a period of turmoil, given that consumers don’t appear to want to pay full price for shoes.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of turmoil

Noun

Of these three films, The Uprising is admittedly the least heist-explicit; Paul Greengrass’s shaky cam mostly follows marching mobs lambasting the king and furious revolts against soldiers and tax collectors.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Advertisement By midsummer, the revolt reached its breaking point.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

Amendment is also a constitution’s mechanism for the prevention of insurrection.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

There were, of course, more people protesting than in 1848, the first modern wave of uprisings, known as the Springtime of the Peoples.

— Rachel Nolan, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
The uprising also brought people working in different movements closer together.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

Take Ludwig, 2018, the artist’s first CGI video, which for eight minutes stays fixed on a single CGI blond boy who rolls around in the dark hold of a ship amid a storm.

— Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
Highs are expected in the upper 80s and the rain chances for the week through Sunday hover around the 80% range — especially Wednesday when the weather service puts storm chances at 88%.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of storm

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

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Synonyms of upheaval

noun

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