turvy

Examples

• All

• Topsy-turvy.

  Academic text (2011)

• If you want to turn topsy turvy, all right, But must your Nicole follow you?

  YaleCourses

• Me Topsy, and them turvy.

  Wait Until Dark (1967)

• Then the road turns topsy turvy before it levels out a mile long tabletop summit.

• After the storm, our garden looked topsy-turvy with plants uprooted and scattered.

• When her plans fell apart, everything felt topsy-turvy and chaotic.

Synonyms

U

upside down

vsturvy

138 2.0

With the top where the bottom usually is

is the same meaning but written without a hyphen

U

upside-down

vsturvy

30 1.8

Turned so the top is where the bottom normally is

is the same meaning but written with a hyphen

T

topsy-turvy

vsturvy

• Informal

1 7.5

Mixed up and in a messy, confused state

refers only to physical reversal, not general disorder or confusion

U

upturned

vsturvy

1 4.5

Something that has its bottom facing up, like a boat

is about the top now being at the bottom rather than bottom facing up

I

inverted

vsturvy

4.8

Placed or turned so the top and bottom are swapped

focuses on the top being at the bottom rather than placement action

O

overturned

vsturvy

3.6

Turned so the top is on the bottom

is about the resulting position rather than the action that caused it

Antonyms

U

upright

44 2.7

Standing straight up and not leaning

R

right-side-up

3 3.2

Placed so the top part faces up

Compounds

T

topsy-turvy

• Informal

1 7.5

Mixed up and in a messy, confused state

T

topsy-turvy

• Informal

7.0

In a mixed up, messy way

Surface Forms

Etymology