topsy-turvy

[top-see-tur-vee]

adverb

1. with the top where the bottom should be; upside down.

2. in or into a reversed condition or order.

3. in or into a state of confusion or disorder.

adjective

1. turned upside down; inverted; reversed.

   a topsy-turvy reflection.

2. confused or disorderly.

   a topsy-turvy classroom.

noun

plural

topsy-turvies 

1. inversion of the natural order.

2. a state of confusion or disorder.

topsy-turvy

/ ˈtɒpsɪˈtɜːvɪ /

adjective

1. upside down

2. in a state of confusion

adverb

1. in a topsy-turvy manner

noun

1. a topsy-turvy state

Other Word Forms

• topsy-turvily adverb
• topsyturviness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of topsy-turvy¹

1520–30; perhaps variant of top syd turvye topside down (with loss of d before t ); turvy, variant of tervy, equivalent to obsolete terve to turn over (cognate with Old High German zerben ) + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of topsy-turvy¹

C16: probably from tops, plural of _top ¹ + obsolete tervy to turn upside down; perhaps related to Old English tearflian to roll over

Example Sentences

It blew topsy-turvy in an eastward direction, borne by fate and the prevailing winds toward the wide, unforgiving sea.

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What appears to have started as one man’s idea of a joke has spread in recent years, with more households offering the tuber in an effort to give the festivities a topsy-turvy spin.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the topsy-turvy world of a power grid besieged by exploding demands from artificial-intelligence data centers, the economics are tilting toward geothermal.

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The rules are as strict as they are simple, and in this topsy-turvy world, truly radical: no hard drugs, no crime, no racists, no abusers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Belgium’s topsy-turvy nuclear debate is a reflection of how radically perceptions of nuclear power have changed across the West and beyond in just a few years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chaotic 
• confused 
• disarranged www.thesaurus.com
• disorderly