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
Causing one of the biggest upheavals in Hollywood history, the IT meltdown irreparably damaged 70% of Sony’s servers, and exposed private communications from executives and talent as well as personal information.
—
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
There have been other owners since, an unsuccessful switch to nonprofit status, staff upheavals, and changes in format and frequency of publishing.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
But land does offer a hedge against inflation, diversification against economic upheavals, and provides a certainty that isn’t available with assets whose value can evaporate in a short time span, like Washington Mutual or Enron.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Last year, the global development sector faced enormous upheavals, with the United States and other donor countries slashing aid budgets even as low-income countries struggled with debt burdens.
—Reem Alabali Radovan, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
But mistakes are almost inevitable given the extraordinary turbulence created by the pandemic and the associated government response (as well as the current policy upheavals).
—Raghuram Rajan, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Today’s young men came of age on the social internet, during the upheavals of COVID-19, and under the political dominance of the most narcissistic and superficial president in American history.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Russia is attempting to reassert its relevance after failing to support a series of allies who fell to internal or external upheavals.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2026
Shannon drew a surprising comparison to the political upheavals of 1968.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
There have been other owners since, an unsuccessful switch to nonprofit status, staff upheavals, and changes in format and frequency of publishing.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
But land does offer a hedge against inflation, diversification against economic upheavals, and provides a certainty that isn’t available with assets whose value can evaporate in a short time span, like Washington Mutual or Enron.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Last year, the global development sector faced enormous upheavals, with the United States and other donor countries slashing aid budgets even as low-income countries struggled with debt burdens.
—Reem Alabali Radovan, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
But mistakes are almost inevitable given the extraordinary turbulence created by the pandemic and the associated government response (as well as the current policy upheavals).
—Raghuram Rajan, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Today’s young men came of age on the social internet, during the upheavals of COVID-19, and under the political dominance of the most narcissistic and superficial president in American history.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Russia is attempting to reassert its relevance after failing to support a series of allies who fell to internal or external upheavals.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2026
Shannon drew a surprising comparison to the political upheavals of 1968.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upheavals
Noun
-
Like most would-be revolutions, the nudge was launched with a manifesto.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Barr’s last scenario is one of a gradual adoption, where AI follows the trajectory of previous technological revolutions, diffusing into the economy at a manageable pace.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Avalanches are rapid, massive slides of snow, ice, rock and soil that can be caused by storms, earthquakes or snowpack deterioration.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Continue reading … THINK AGAIN — New 'microgeneration' of students revolts against 'cringy' campus wokeness.—
,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The royal government was also known as a dictatorship for banning political parties, suppressing revolts and political opposition, controlling the press and having its own secret police force called SAVAK.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike coups or insurrections, which are swift and explicit, modern democratic backsliding is often incremental.—
Helena Carpio,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The 1807 measure allows the president to deploy members of the military or federalize state National Guard members to contain insurrections.—
Sarah Davis,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Although originally built as a military post housing garrisons sent to quell the Jacobite uprisings, the beautiful town today has a happier purpose.—
Patti Nickell,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The Arab Spring uprisings reached Syria in 2011 and blazed up into civil war.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This week’s storms are especially welcome because the statewide snowpack has been lagging after weeks of unusually warm, dry weather.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Colorado is heading into a rare week where fire danger, damaging winds and winter storms are all colliding, creating hazards across nearly every part of the state at different times.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Mayer and Strong offer a broad pop-history lesson, in which the same tensions and turmoils churn on and on in their terrible cycle throughout the decades; the only thing that’s changed are the aesthetics.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
Meanwhile, White speculates that the Hong Kong funds also got pummeled by headwinds in the Yen-carry trade—which made their financing more expensive—and exposure to recent convulsions in the silver market.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Some permanent changes among survivors have been noted, including persistent convulsions.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upheavals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upheavals. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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