upheaval

[ uhp-hee-vuhl ]

/ ʌpˈhi vəl /

strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a society: the upheaval of war.

an act of upheaving, especially of a part of the earth's crust.

the state of being upheaved.

Geology. an upward warping of a part of the earth's crust, forcing certain areas into a relatively higher position than before.

Origin of upheaval

First recorded in 1830–40; upheave + -al²

1 disruption, disorder, turmoil.

upfront, upgather, upgrade, upgrowth, upham, upheaval, upheave, upheld, uphill, uphold, upholster

The country, long viewed as stable, has recently been home to upheaval.

An African Dictatorship’s Friend in D.C. |Center for Public Integrity |November 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
That would be a recipe not just for Ukrainian instability but for instability and upheaval throughout the entire region.

Putin: The Cold War Comeback Kid |Andrew Nagorski |May 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A real world of upheaval was also unfolding, in which, for example, a 1976 bomb at La Guardia airport had killed 11 people.

Paddy Chayefsky: The Dark Prophet of ‘Network’ News |Tim Teeman |February 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
At 75 years old, the tribal leader Agha has lived through decades of war and upheaval.

Afghan Diplomat: The Security Agreement Will Be Signed |Jacob Siegel, Sami Yousafzai |January 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

During any other month, that news alone would have signaled a new world order, an upheaval in the pecking order.

Does Katie Couric’s Move to Yahoo Signal the End of Old Media Dominance? |David Freedlander |November 25, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The strength of the strikers in the British upheaval of 1911, however, has been grossly exaggerated on both sides.

Socialism As It Is |William English Walling
The big Bristols swung into line-astern formation and bashed through the first upheaval of Flak-88 shells.

A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F. |Rutherford G. Montgomery
Fred and Flossy were perhaps in the wrong in causing such an upheaval in a very model household.

Skookum Chuck Fables |Skookum Chuck (pseud for R.D. Cumming)
There certainly were evidences of an upheaval, however, in plain sight.

The Doctor's Red Lamp |Various
Mrs. Marmaduke Vane's many chains and necklets tinkled with the upheaval of her delighted laughter.

The Following of the Star |Florence L. Barclay

upheaval

/ (ʌpˈhiːvəl) /

a strong, sudden, or violent disturbance, as in politics, social conditions, etc

geology another word for uplift (def. 7)