Thesaurus results for UPHEAVALS

upheavals

noun

plural of upheaval

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of upheavals Against encroaching social upheavals, the sovereign was resolutely the center of a mercantilist universe. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The underlying motivation for African policymakers is to untether their economies from commodity cycles and, by extension, the upheavals that come with them. — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026 As in Pachinko, Lee captures the consequences that systemic historical upheavals visit upon private life. — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026 But external leadership quickly devolves if our inner landscapes are left scattered to the wind during massive, often uninvited personal upheavals. — Patrick Murphy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026 The causes were many, but the upheavals of the post-9/11 world supplied powerful fuel. — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026 The landscape stayed quiet for a while, until a series of upheavals in the American League West. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The scandal in question erupted in the eighteen-thirties in the Prussian college town of Königsberg—today, after wars and upheavals, the isolated Russian city of Kaliningrad. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Like many in his generation Zhu’s early career was upended by the political upheavals of the Mao Zedong era. — Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upheavals

Noun

These job changes seem frightening because past tech revolutions have shut people out.

— Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
One of the most challenging blind spots in modern leadership is learning how to guide our own internal systems through whirlwind revolutions, life transitions and change.

— Patrick Murphy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolutions

Noun

David Ryder | Reuters The typical homeowners insurance policy excludes or limits coverage for damage from certain disasters, such as earthquakes, landslides and floods, according to insurance experts.

— Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
By 1926, Caltech was running the Seismo Lab with the Carnegie Institution, where seismologists like Beno Gutenberg and Charles Richter would deepen our understanding of earthquakes.

— Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of earthquakes

Noun

His teeth desert his mouth; his digestion revolts; his heart appears frequently to announce its forthcoming resignation.

— Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Voice had been exercised repeatedly at annual general meetings, say-on-pay revolts had forced concessions and proxy advisors had opposed management with escalating frequency.

— Albana Vrioni, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of revolts

Noun

From 1896 to 1897, the region experienced what would come to be known as the First Chimurenga, a period of uprisings by the Indigenous Ndebele and Shona people against colonial policies.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
There were, of course, more people protesting than in 1848, the first modern wave of uprisings, known as the Springtime of the Peoples.

— Rachel Nolan, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of uprisings

Noun

Several points along the Missouri River downstream from Kansas City remain under flood warnings after last week’s storms.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
Warmer water and long-term sea level rise have already lifted sea levels along the coast, and big swells from distant storms are damaging shorelines.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of storms

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

Definition of turmoils

Noun

In amphibians, chytridiomycosis causes a wide variety of symptoms including skin damage, red skin, convulsions, and eventually leads to heart failure.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Signs of infection include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss and paralysis.

— Esther Launstein, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of convulsions

Browse Nearby Words

upheaval

upheavals

upheave

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Upheavals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upheavals. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of upheavals

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Luddite

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes