upheaval
Americannoun
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strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society.
the upheaval of war.
- Synonyms:
- turmoil, disorder, disruption
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an act of upheaving, especially of a part of the earth's crust.
-
the state of being upheaved.
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Geology. an upward warping of a part of the earth's crust, forcing certain areas into a relatively higher position than before.
noun
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a strong, sudden, or violent disturbance, as in politics, social conditions, etc
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geology another word for uplift
Etymology
Origin of upheaval
Explanation
Upheaval means a violent or sudden change. You might talk about an upheaval in government following an election where many incumbents are replaced. Upheaval is a geological term for the upward displacement of the earth's crust that has stretched to include a change in power or ideas. If you suddenly found out your favorite teacher was running a pyramid scheme and had escaped to a Caribbean island, you might experience an upheaval in your attitude toward teachers in general.
Vocabulary lists containing upheaval
Brace Yourself: Earthquake Words
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Mayhem! Chaos! Pandemonium!
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In previous years, a run of poor results would trigger a flurry of signings or internal upheaval.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Schrader, who turns 80 in July, spoke about the coming upheaval with a mixture of fascination, resignation and dry gallows humor.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Albert Manifold was an industry outsider tapped to oversee a turnaround at BP BP -2.72%decrease; red down pointing triangle after years of upheaval.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Despite the upheaval, the colonies did not collapse.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
In Jagu’s and Rajesh’s case, my grandmother believed, the upheaval and uprooting from East Bengal to Calcutta had unmoored their minds, although in spectacularly opposite ways.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
