turmoil

Definition

A state of great disorder or uncertainty.

Etymology

Unknown. First appears c. 1526. Perhaps from Old French tremouille (“the hopper of a mill”).

Example Sentences

• "Oleg Blokhin's side lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to the substitutes' bench because of a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through real turmoil in spells."
• "The Taoists developed their philosophy during an extended era of turmoil known as the Warring States period of Chinese history."
• "And there I'll rest, as after much turmoil, / A blessed soul doth in Elysium."