upheaval

noun

up·​heav·​al ˌəp-ˈhē-vəl 

(ˌ)ə-ˈpē-

1

: the action or an instance of upheaving especially of part of the earth's crust

2

: extreme agitation or disorder : radical change

also : an instance of this

Synonyms

• bouleversement
• cataclysm
• convulsion
• earthquake
• paroxysm
• storm
• tempest
• tumult
• uproar

Examples of upheaval in a Sentence

The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.

the emotional upheaval of divorce

a period of cultural and social upheavals

The island was created by an upheaval of the ocean floor.

The lake was formed by geologic upheaval.

Recent Examples on the Web

The canons dismantled during the Theory incursion of the 1970s and ’80s introduced a more inclusive world of letters, even as the upheaval left English departments fragmented. —Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025

The upheaval left Martin Luther King, Jr., who had stood alongside Johnson at the signing of the Voting Rights Act, feeling shaken. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025

Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and Iran’s retaliation raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. —Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025

Israel's ongoing airstrikes and intelligence operation and Iran's retaliation raised concerns about war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. —Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for upheaval

• coeval
• medieval
• primeval
• retrieval
• evil
• weevil

Kids Definition

upheaval

noun

up·​heav·​al ˌəp-ˈhē-vəl 

(ˌ)ə-ˈpē-

1

: the action or an instance of heaving or lifting up from beneath especially of part of the earth's crust

2

: an instance of violent disorder or change

emotional upheaval