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 Stocks fell Monday alongside a jump in bond yields and erratic oil trading as geopolitical upheaval remained front and center for traders. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026 The underlying motivation for African policymakers is to untether their economies from commodity cycles and, by extension, the upheavals that come with them. — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026 This Jacobite uprising is also causing upheaval at Castle Leathers. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, the Smithsonian underwent a political awakening during the 2020 upheaval over the COVID-19 pandemic and murder of George Floyd that echoed responses in academia and other progressive realms. — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for upheaval

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upheaval

Noun

Citing the country's judiciary, IRNA said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four members of the security forces dead earlier this year.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
The unrest was followed by sustained opposition to government efforts to house asylum seekers in communities across the country, with some protests also descending into violent clashes.

— Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of unrest

Noun

As this revolution unfolds, the debris-clearing, satellite-rescuing capabilities of RPOs could ensure the sky doesn’t fall, keeping the orbital environment safe and accessible for all.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Many English, Welsh and Scottish people and most Irish people remained Catholic and thus opposed to the official religion, but the state churches were marching steadily away from them and toward fundamentalist revolution.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolution

Noun

The earthquake's epicenter was approximately 10 miles east-northeast of Willows and occurred at a depth of 13 miles.

— CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of earthquake

Noun

But deeper into the hills of the Ivy League institution, a homemade banner hanging from student co-op housing Saturday signals roiling turmoil.

— Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
The song, written with Dan Wilson, isn’t just a story of the turmoil that befell the band post-2003.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of turmoil

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

Gómez Vergara’s documentary revisits Chile’s social uprising through a health brigade treating protesters injured by police repression, connecting present violence with dictatorship-era wounds.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
From 1896 to 1897, the region experienced what would come to be known as the First Chimurenga, a period of uprisings by the Indigenous Ndebele and Shona people against colonial policies.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

Whether windows have been damaged by a recent storm or have simply reached the end of their useful life, a coordinated replacement project can improve comfort, energy efficiency and curb appeal while helping homeowners prepare for future weather.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Beyond the microbes, mudflats, mangrove forests, and salt marshes help protect shorelines from erosion and storm surges.

— Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of storm

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“Upheaval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upheaval. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of upheaval

noun

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