as in revolutions
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
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Recent Examples of upheavals
Each storm sparked a wave of scientific inquiry, until, in the early twentieth century, scientists finally understood why electrifying societies had grown precariously vulnerable to environmental upheavals on the Sun.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The Industry Has Handled Huge Shifts Before When discussion turned to AI, Pearn recalled earlier upheavals.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
The Sandinista Revolution and the revolutionary upheavals of the 1980s more broadly held symbolic global importance because of the Cold War.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025
The film follows Mark and Dawn through horrifically fraught times, as Mark battles an opioid addiction and Dawn struggles to support her mercurial man through personal and professional upheavals.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
While Sehgal’s persistence was key in keeping the project alive through corporate upheavals – going as far as to stash a culture at home – neither Nogrady nor the METEI was ever credited in his landmark publications.
—Ted Powers, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The past few years have brought dramatic upheavals, from Gaza to Sudan.
—Richard Branson, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
But in, say, the French Revolution, things got going in part because of the popular unrest and the popular upheavals, but also because there was an inner circle of members of the French nobility who were totally pissed at Louis XVI.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Modern conservatism developed its own history and internal logic, emerging not merely in opposition but alongside liberalism as a powerful response to the social and economic upheavals of the early 20th century.
—Allan J. Lichtman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The Industry Has Handled Huge Shifts Before When discussion turned to AI, Pearn recalled earlier upheavals.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
The Sandinista Revolution and the revolutionary upheavals of the 1980s more broadly held symbolic global importance because of the Cold War.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025
The film follows Mark and Dawn through horrifically fraught times, as Mark battles an opioid addiction and Dawn struggles to support her mercurial man through personal and professional upheavals.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
While Sehgal’s persistence was key in keeping the project alive through corporate upheavals – going as far as to stash a culture at home – neither Nogrady nor the METEI was ever credited in his landmark publications.
—Ted Powers, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The past few years have brought dramatic upheavals, from Gaza to Sudan.
—Richard Branson, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
But in, say, the French Revolution, things got going in part because of the popular unrest and the popular upheavals, but also because there was an inner circle of members of the French nobility who were totally pissed at Louis XVI.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Modern conservatism developed its own history and internal logic, emerging not merely in opposition but alongside liberalism as a powerful response to the social and economic upheavals of the early 20th century.
—Allan J. Lichtman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upheavals
Noun
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All scientific revolutions have been strongly influenced by philosophical ideas.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Nowhere have these coups and revolutions promoted and funded by NED (and the CIA itself) been even remotely successful.—
Ron Paul,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Last month, at least seven earthquakes rattled the coast of Alaska in a span of 24 hours.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Onondagas support plans announced by the mayor of Syracuse in 2020 to remove the statue of Columbus, an Italian explorer who helped the Spanish establish a colonial foothold in the Caribbean and later suppressed revolts by Indigenous people.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
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Peasant revolts have been a thing right alongside revolutionary history the entire time.—
Nikki McCann Ramirez,
Rolling Stone,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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The president can also legally invoke the military under the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to be deployed in order to curb insurrections.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Midterm elections will see congressional battlegrounds in states where fast-rising electric bills or data center hotspots — or both — are fomenting community uprisings.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Altogether more than 1,000 Israelis were killed in those uprisings, along with many times that number of Palestinians.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But some experts warn that what’s happening in Hatteras could be a glimpse of what’s to come in other coastal areas as climate change fuels more powerful storms and hastens erosion.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Most of these stronger storms will be east of I-65 across south central Kentucky.—
Katie Wiseman,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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About two couples, connected and dependent on one another, raising their kids alongside each other, facing the same turmoils, the same existential questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Symptoms include confusion, headaches, stiff neck, loss of balance, and convulsions.—
McClatchy Media,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Neurological symptoms may occur, too, like a stiff neck, disorientation, or convulsions.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upheavals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upheavals. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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