top·sy-tur·vy
(tŏp′sē-tûr′vē)adv.1. With the top downward and the bottom up; upside-down.
2. In or into a state of utter disorder or confusion: "turning our ordered life topsy-turvy" (Anne Tyler).
adj. top·sy-tur·vi·er,
top·sy-tur·vi·est 1. Turned or positioned upside down; inverted.
2. Confused or disordered.
n. pl. top·sy-tur·vies The quality or condition of being topsy-turvy.
[Probably from
top + obsolete
terve,
to overturn (from Middle English
terven).]
top′sy-tur′vi·ly adv.
top′sy-tur′vi·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
topsy-turviness
nounA lack of order or regular arrangement:
chaos,
clutter,
confusedness,
confusion,
derangement,
disarrangement,
disarray,
disorder,
disorderedness,
disorderliness,
disorganization,
jumble,
mess,
mix-up,
muddle,
muss,
scramble,
tumble.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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