kerfuffle
noun
J. K. Rowling Belinda Luscombe
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The Evolution of Kerfuffle
Fuffle was first used in Scottish English, as early as the 16th century, as a verb meaning "to dishevel." The addition of the prefix car- (possibly derived from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning "wrong" or "awkward") didn't change the meaning of the word considerably. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, and in the 20th century it was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle. There is some dispute among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by imitative words like kerplunk, where the syllable ker- is simply added for emphasis.
Synonyms
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Example Sentences
Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 Recently, there has also been a separate kerfuffle about lengthy headnotes—the introductions that precede most recipes on a blog or in a cookbook—as some people just want to skip the story and get cooking. Wired, 1 Aug. 2022 In a separate kerfuffle, two activists are suing Caruso’s company for the right to protest the candidate at the Grove. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2022 The movie is a beastly thing, and proud of it—a gaily sadistic kerfuffle, from which all traces of tenderness have been expunged. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2022 There had been a minor standoff involving Odeyingbo on Tuesday, but Pittman Jr. and McLeod threw several hard punches in the open before teammates quickly converged to break up the kerfuffle. The Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2022 The disconnect caused a minor kerfuffle for NASA and contractor Advanced Space, which remained optimistic that the issue represented a minor glitch. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 7 July 2022 The kerfuffle over the article has also piqued the interest of the school’s language experts. Anne Quito, Quartz, 24 June 2022 Following a diplomatic kerfuffle, Queen Victoria is said to have taken a pen and crossed Bolivia off her map of South America, insisting the country could therefore not exist. Jen Rose Smith, Washington Post, 19 May 2022 See More Word History
alteration of carfuffle, from Scots car- (probably from Scottish Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward) + fuffle to become disheveled
1908, in the meaning defined above
kerfuffles
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- commotions
- disturbances
- stirs
- turmoils
- fusses
- noises
- storms
- uproars
- fun
- hurricanes
- ruckuses
- clatters
- furors
- furores
- rackets
- ructions
- rows
- bustles
- zoos
- clutters
- tumults
- ados
- hubbubs
- bluster
- ballyhoos
- hoo-hahs
- hooplas
- moils
- blathers
- roars
- squalls
- hullabaloos
- flurries
- alarums and excursions
- bothers
- upheavals
- coils
- pandemoniums
- outcries
- rumpuses
- splores
- whirls
- welters
- corroborees
- stews
- shindies
- foofaraws
- brawls
- williwaws
- hurly-burlies
- howls
- hoo-has
- pothers
- scuffles
- shindys
- hurlies
- eruptions
- cacophonies
- hurry-skurries
- bobberies
- hurry-scurries
- to-dos
- disorders
- helter-skelters
- outbreaks
- hubble-bubbles
- outbursts
- dos
- clamors
- do's
- fracas
- fracases
- tizzies
- dins
- frays
- flutters
- melees
- fevers
- hassles
- flare-ups
- hue and cries
- frets
- dithers
- mêlées
- lathers
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tranquilities
- tranquillities
- hushes
- quiets
- rests
- calms
- peaces
- quietudes
- orders