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kerfuffle

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kerfuhfuhl

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kɚˈfʌfəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. chiefly commonwealthinformal

    A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult. [from 19th c.]

verb

  1. chiefly irelandukcommonwealthinformaltransitive

    To make a disorderly outburst or commotion.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Rare
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult. [from 19th c.]

Used this way, kerfuffle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Casual
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Playful
Usage feel
Casual and conversational

Where it naturally appears

  • Everyday conversation
  • Social media/informal writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

great kerfuffle

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.