Standard Lemma guide

hurlyburly

adj · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Full of disorder or noisy confusion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A noisy and disorderly tumult and confusion, especially as of battle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Likely an altered reduplication of hurling (“a tumult”). Compare Swedish huller om buller.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: melske — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Greek: αναμπουμπούλα (anampoumpoúla) — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Irish: hurla burla — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Irish: gírle guairle — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Japanese: 喧騒 (kensō) — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Russian: суматоха (sumatoxa) — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Russian: переполох (perepolox) — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Russian: смятение (smjatenije) — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Swedish: oväsen — noisy and disorderly tumult
  • Swedish: tumult — noisy and disorderly tumult