upheaval

upheaval
/up hee"veuhl/, n.
1. strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society: the upheaval of war.
2. an act of upheaving, esp. of a part of the earth's crust.
3. the state of being upheaved.
4. Geol. an upward warping of a part of the earth's crust, forcing certain areas into a relatively higher position than before.
[1830-40; UPHEAVE + -AL2]
Syn. 1. disruption, disorder, turmoil.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Upheaval — Up*heav al, n. The act of upheaving, or the state of being upheaved; esp., an elevation of a portion of the earth s crust. Lubbock. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • upheaval — index bluster (commotion), cataclysm, commotion, confusion (turmoil), disaster, furor, havoc …   Law dictionary

  • upheaval — (n.) 1838, in geology, from Middle English verb upheave (c.1300), from UP (Cf. up) + HEAVE (Cf. heave) (v.). Cf. O.Fris. upheva, O.H.G. ufhevan, Ger. aufheben. Figurative sense, with reference to convulsions of society, etc., recorded from 1850 …   Etymology dictionary

  • upheaval — *commotion, agitation, tumult, turmoil, turbulence, confusion, convulsion Analogous words: heaving, raising, lifting (see LIFT vb): alteration, change (see under CHANGE vb): cataclysm, catastrophe, *disaster …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • upheaval — [n] major change about face*, alteration, cataclysm, catastrophe, clamor, commotion, convulsion, disaster, disorder, disruption, disturbance, eruption, explosion, ferment, flip flop*, new ball game*, new deal*, outbreak, outburst, outcry,… …   New thesaurus

  • upheaval — ► NOUN ▪ a violent or sudden change or disruption …   English terms dictionary

  • upheaval — [up hē′vəl] n. 1. a heaving up, as of part of the earth s crust by an earthquake 2. a sudden, violent change …   English World dictionary

  • upheaval — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ big, enormous, great, major, massive ▪ cultural, economic, emotional, political, social …   Collocations dictionary

  • upheaval — n. 1) a violent upheaval 2) a political; social upheaval * * * [ʌp hiːv(ə)l] social upheaval a political a violent upheaval …   Combinatory dictionary

  • upheaval — UK [ʌpˈhiːv(ə)l] / US [ʌpˈhɪv(ə)l] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms upheaval : singular upheaval plural upheavals a sudden or violent change, especially one that affects people s lives Maya s been going through a period of emotional… …   English dictionary

  • upheaval — [[t]ʌphi͟ːv(ə)l[/t]] upheavals N COUNT: usu adj N An upheaval is a big change which causes a lot of trouble, confusion, and worry. Algeria has been going through political upheaval for the past two months... Having a baby will mean the greatest… …   English dictionary

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