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churned-up

churned-up

1 6.0
A surface or material that strong movement makes rough and messy
  • adjective
  • /tʃɜrnʌp/
translation icon : revolteado
  • The heavy machinery churned up the dirt, leaving a messy construction site behind.

Examples

  • After the storm, the lake looked churned-up and muddy.

  • The churned-up sand made it difficult to walk on the beach.

  • The heavy rain left the field churned-up and full of deep ruts.

  • Their argument left him feeling churned-up inside for hours.

  • Waves crashed against the rocks, sending churned-up foam high into the air.

  • After the storm, the waves churned up the sand, making the beach look completely different.

  • The horse galloped across the field, churning up the soft earth with its hooves.

Synonyms

agitated
vschurned-up
1 4.4

A liquid that is shaken or stirred so it moves and mixes

is stronger, implying a rough messy state after vigorous movement
roiling
vschurned-up
1 7.6

A liquid moving fast and making rough waves

is used for the rough messy state caused by that violent movement
roiled
vschurned-up
8.3

Water that is cloudy and moving roughly

is used for surfaces or substances made rough and messy by vigorous movement
churning
vschurned-up
4.9

Water that moves in strong, swirling ways

is about the resulting rough and unsettled condition after vigorous movement

Antonyms

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

How Agitated

seething
6.1
turbulent
34 6.6
churned-up
1 6.0
agitated
1 4.4
rippled
3.2
smooth
256 1.0

Surface Forms

churned-up positive

Morphology

churned-up = churn up (transparent) = up + churn + ed

Formed from the phrasal verb 'churn up' with the participial suffix '-ed'; the adjectival meaning 'disturbed/agitated' follows directly from that base.

Etymology

Churned-up comes from churn, the wooden bucket people used to make butter where they 'stir' or 'beat' cream hard until it changes into butter. So to be 'churned-up' is to be stirred or shaken into a rough, messy state, which is why we say a field, the sea, or a feeling can look or feel 'churned-up'.