Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hurlyburly

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: hurly-burly
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Full of disorder or noisy confusion.

Example Sentences

"...for nought is ceaſſed and gone already, what an hurlyburly (?) inconvenience ſhoulde followe or it maye be eaſely perceived."
"1. When ſhall we three meet againe? / In Thunder, Lightning, or in Raine? / 2. When the Hurly-burley's done, / When the Battaile's loſt, and wonne."
"Why is it that civilized humanity / Can make the world so wrong? / In this hurly-burly of insanity / Our dreams cannot last long"
""I understand the circus that it is," Springer says of the hurly-burly mob scene that often overtakes his show."

Etymology

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

Usage

Inflected Forms

hurlyburlies (plural) hurly-burly (alternative) more hurlyburly (comparative) most hurlyburly (superlative)

Phrases

hurling and burling hustle and bustle

Frequently Paired Words

hurling and burling hustle and bustle

Questions

What does hurlyburly mean?: A noisy and disorderly tumult and confusion, especially as of battle.
Where does hurlyburly come from?: Likely an altered reduplication of hurling (“a tumult”). Compare Swedish huller om buller.

How to pronounce hurlyburly

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