French word

bouleverser

Pronunciation

IPA/buləvɛʁse/

Meaning

  • verbupset

Example

Cette nouvelle me bouleverse.

This news upsets me.

Illustration for bouleverser (upset)

More examples

Le départ a bouleversé son quotidien.

The departure disrupted his daily life.

Core concept

A person's inner balance is knocked over by a sudden shock, grief, or startling news.

Common phrases

  • bouleverser la vie de quelqu'un

    disrupt someone's life

  • bouleverser son quotidien

    disrupt one's daily life

Similar words

troubler: To disturb someone's calm or thoughts, causing anxiety or confusion.
choquer: To shock someone with something intensely surprising or offensive.
émouvoir: To move someone emotionally, evoking sadness or deep feeling.
perturber: To disrupt normal conditions or progress, causing confusion or difficulty.

Definition in French

Faire perdre à quelqu'un son calme ou sa stabilité émotionnelle en lui causant un choc, une peine ou une grande surprise.

Word origin

French bouleverser continues Old French bolverser or bouleverser, an old verb for overturning, whose physical image later extended to emotional upheaval.

Usage tips

  • Bouleverser is transitive, so the affected person is a direct object: Cette nouvelle me bouleverse means the news deeply unsettles me.

Other meanings

  • confuseverb
  • overwhelmverb
  • disruptverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word