What Is Political Turmoil? Political turmoil is a term often used to describe a state of extreme unrest, unease or agitation, in relation to a government or other policy-making body. In particular, countries with complicated or conflicted histories are often said to have had periods of political turmoil. Top definition. Stranger #2: 'oh they are in turmoil, their lives are like dry handjobs.' By Thenicktionary April 24. You squeeze a turmite. I stepped on a lot of turmites, and now my shoes are slippery with turmoil.

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unknown origin. Perhaps from Old Frenchtremouille(“the hopper of a mill”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (UK)IPA^(key): /ˈtɜːmɔɪl/

• Audio (US)

Noun[edit]

turmoil (usually uncountable, pluralturmoils)

1. A state of great disorder or uncertainty.
   • 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport:

     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.

2. Harassinglabour; trouble; disturbance.
   • c.1590, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, published 1623, [Act II, scene vii]:

     And there I'll rest, as after much turmoil, / A blessed soul doth in Elysium.

   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one.

Synonyms[edit]

• chaos, disorder

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

turmoil (third-person singular simple presentturmoils, present participleturmoiling, simple past and past participleturmoiled)

1. (obsolete,intransitive) To be disquieted or confused; to be in commotion.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

2. (obsolete,transitive) To harass with commotion; to disquiet; to worry.
   • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     It is her fatal misfortune […] to be miserably tossed and turmoiled with these storms of affliction.

Further reading[edit]

• turmoil in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• turmoil in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• turmoil at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “turmoil” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2020.

Turmoiltur'moil (?), n. of uncertain origin; perhaps fr. Tremouille the hopper of a mill, trembler to tremble (cf.

Tremble); influenced by e. Turn and moil. harassing labor; trouble; molestation by tumult; disturbance; worrying confusion. And there i'll rest, as after much turmoil, a blessed soul doth in elysium.turmoiltur.moil' (?), v.

Turmoiled (?); p. Turmoiling. to harass with commotion; to disquiet; to worry. obs. it is her fatal misfortune to be miserably tossed and turmoiled with these storms of affliction.turmoiltur.moil', v. To be disquieted or confused; to be in commotion. A disorderly outburst or tumult; 'they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused' syn: disturbance, disruption, commotion, stir, flutter, hurly burly, to-do2.

Violent agitation syn: tumult3. Disturbance usually in protest syn: agitation, excitement, upheaval, hullabaloo.