TURBULENCE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

turbulence

noun

Definition of turbulence

as in upheaval

a state of violence, confusion, and disorder There was much turbulence in their town after a string of tragedies.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 turbulence August had no shortage of turbulence for the market, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each posted a gain for the month after losing ground in July and June. — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Essentially a form of computational fluid dynamics, the simulation divides the flow passages into a very large number of tiny regions and calculates things such as velocity, pressure, turbulence, and temperature throughout the component. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 With wars still raging in the Middle East and Ukraine — and turbulence escalating globally — artists on the film festival circuit have been navigating political minefields. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 The plot centered around Montego Air Flight 828, which, after experiencing some turbulence, lands in New York City. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for turbulence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for turbulence

Noun

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
Artificial intelligence has unleashed the greatest upheaval within the industry since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of upheaval

Noun

The Canadian singer caused a commotion with her ensemble, showing off a head-to-toe Alaïa ensemble from the upcoming Archetypes spring 2027 collection.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 29 Aug. 2026
There was no illness or injury, Krauss said, but the dog seemed ready to step away from the crowds and commotion.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of commotion

Noun

The 100-meter sprint in Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval brought together the world’s fastest runners, hurtling along at breakneck speed to shrieks of excitement from a captivated crowd.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
But as the excitement for launch built, and the days until Roman's launch dwindled, excitement over the possibility of a solar transit spread among the photojournalists at KSC.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of excitement

Noun

Estradiol transdermal patches, which deliver the estrogen hormone directly into the bloodstream, are used to ease menopause symptoms such as mood swings, hot flashes and sleep disturbances.

— Sriparna Roy, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
As if a million white collar workers suddenly cried out in terror at once, a great disturbance in the AI force forced down every major AI chatbot service — a brief moment of reprieve from our AI empire overlords.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbance

Noun

Bernadette explains the racial nuances the Guardians might not know as newcomers to Earth, echoing the landmark 1971 Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic series, which attempts to bring the space cops down to Earth by exposing them to racial strife.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife, Shanna Gardner, over the parenting of their twins.

— Ed White, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of strife

Noun

The trouble was a bacterial abscess on the child’s neck, swollen, red, warm to the touch, about the size of a ping-pong ball, large enough to force the head into a tilt.

— Eric Boodman, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
At least five people died and dozens more were feared dead after a boat carrying West African migrants ran into trouble in the Atlantic Ocean.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of trouble

Noun

The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers.

— Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
Aggregators typically disclose this information in their search filters, and knowing it in advance avoids confusion on arrival.

— Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of confusion

Noun

Syria’s leaders are now positioning the country to benefit from a resurgence of regional turmoil.

— Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Geopolitical turmoil, including war in the Middle East and US import tariffs, has brought urgency to an issue Icelanders have debated on and off for decades.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of turmoil

Browse Nearby Words

turboprops

turbulence

turbulent

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Turbulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turbulence. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of turbulence

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on turbulence

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes