Antonyms for topsy-turvy
| Grammar : Adj, adv |
| Spell : top-see-tur-vee |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈtɒp siˈtɜr vi |
Definition of topsy-turvy
Origin :- 1520s, "but prob. in popular use from an earlier period" [OED], likely from tops, plural of top (n.1) "highest point" + obsolete terve "turn upside down, topple over," from Old English tearflian "to roll over, overturn," from Proto-Germanic *terbanan (cf. Old High German zerben "to turn round"). The Century Dictionary (1902) calls it "A word which, owing to its popular nature, its alliterative type, and to ignorance of its origin, leading to various perversions made to suggest some plausible origin, has undergone, besides the usual variations of spelling, extraordinary modifications of form." It lists 31 variations.
- adj mixed-up
- adv in utter disorder
- Why cannot he carry his zeal for topsy-turvy horticulture elsewhere?
- Extract from : « Views and Reviews » by William Ernest Henley
- We may read this cable wrong but it seems to us to embody a topsy-turvy tactic!
- Extract from : « Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2 » by Ian Hamilton
- It was a topsy-turvy world in which the dogs found themselves of late.
- Extract from : « Mary Gray » by Katharine Tynan
- It was her introduction to the topsy-turvy world into which she had come.
- Extract from : « Gigolo » by Edna Ferber
- It was that topsy-turvy product—an "exclusive" commercial enterprise.
- Extract from : « The Innocence of Father Brown » by G. K. Chesterton
- Yes—the revolution that turns us all topsy-turvy—the revolution of Love.
- Extract from : « The Lady of Lyons » by Edward Bulwer Lytton
- This is topsy-turvy reasoning, of course, but at the same time it is suggestive.
- Extract from : « The Merry-Go-Round » by Carl Van Vechten
- It was a dreary, desolate night that he spent in the topsy-turvy cottage.
- Extract from : « What's-His-Name » by George Barr McCutcheon
- Almost comic this last—a sort of topsy-turvy adultery charge!
- Extract from : « A German Pompadour » by Marie Hay
- It was all over, the light was gone, everything was topsy-turvy.
- Extract from : « The Varmint » by Owen Johnson
Synonyms for topsy-turvy
- backwards
- chaotic
- cluttered
- cockeyed
- confused
- disarranged
- disheveled
- disjointed
- dislocated
- disordered
- disorderly
- disorganized
- downside-up
- inside-out
- inverted
- jumbled
- littered
- luxated
- messy
- mixed up
- muddled
- overturned
- pell-mell
- riotous
- tangled
- tumultous/tumultuous
- unhinged
- untidy
- upended
- upside-down
- upturned
- wrong side up
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019