topsy-turvy

[ top-see-tur-vee ]
See synonyms for: topsy-turvytopsy-turviestopsyturviness on Thesaurus.com

adverb
  1. with the top where the bottom should be; upside down.

  2. in or into a reversed condition or order.

  1. in or into a state of confusion or disorder.

adjective
  1. turned upside down; inverted; reversed: a topsy-turvy reflection.

  2. confused or disorderly: a topsy-turvy classroom.

noun,plural top·sy-tur·vies.
  1. inversion of the natural order.

  2. a state of confusion or disorder.

Origin of topsy-turvy

1
1520–30; perhaps variant of top syd turvye topside down (with loss of d before t); turvy, variant of tervy, equivalent to obsolete terve to turn over (cognate with Old High German zerben) + -y1

Other words from topsy-turvy

  • top·sy-tur·vi·ly, adverb
  • top·sy·tur·vi·ness, noun

Words Nearby topsy-turvy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use topsy-turvy in a sentence

  • It was all over, the light was gone, everything was topsy-turvy.

    The Varmint | Owen Johnson
  • The bottom had, indeed, dropped out of things—the universe was topsy-turvy.

    The Varmint | Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for topsy-turvy

topsy-turvy

/ (ˈtɒpsɪˈtɜːvɪ) /


adjective
  1. upside down

  2. in a state of confusion

adverb
  1. in a topsy-turvy manner

noun
  1. a topsy-turvy state

Origin of topsy-turvy

1
C16: probably from tops, plural of top 1 + obsolete tervy to turn upside down; perhaps related to Old English tearflian to roll over

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012