social unrest

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   A situation in which many people in a society are angry or dissatisfied and show it through protests, strikes or violence.

   Grammar: No plural and no a/an: there was social unrest, not a social unrest.

   Patterns

   • social unrest over something
   • fear social unrest
   • lead to social unrest

   Rising food prices led to social unrest in several cities.

   Officials worried that the cuts could cause social unrest.

   The region has a long history of social unrest.

Common combinations

widespread social unrest

Widespread social unrest followed the disputed election.

cause social unrest

High unemployment can cause social unrest.

fuel social unrest

Corruption scandals fueled social unrest across the country.

fear of social unrest

Fear of social unrest led the government to reverse the tax.

outbreak of social unrest

An outbreak of social unrest closed the main roads.

calm social unrest

Talks with union leaders helped calm social unrest.

Synonyms and how they differ

civil unrest

Civil unrest is almost identical but puts more focus on disorder that police or the army must handle.

turmoil

Turmoil describes confusion and upheaval in general and need not involve crowds or protests.

discontent

Discontent is the feeling of dissatisfaction itself, while social unrest is the visible action that results.

disorder

Disorder stresses breakdown of control or public order, not the underlying anger.

Opposites

Word family

unrest noun

a state of anger and disturbance among people

restless adjective

unable to stay still or calm

social adjective

relating to society and how people live together

unsettled adjective

disturbed or uncertain

Commonly confused: social unrest or civil unrest?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “social unrest”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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