ferment

Compared meaning: a disturbed, unsettled state in society (noun).

比较义项：动荡不安的状态（名词）。

• unrest

  Unrest denotes open dissatisfaction that often leads to protest, disorder or conflict, and typically appears in phrases like civil unrest or labor unrest.

  unrest指因不满而公开表现出来的、常常引发抗议、混乱或冲突的状态，常出现在“社会骚乱”“劳工骚乱”等搭配中。

  Rising unemployment sparked widespread unrest in several major cities.

  失业率上升在多个大城市引发了广泛的动荡。

• ferment 本词

  Ferment describes an exciting state of agitation or change, often driven by new ideas or upheaval, and carries a more neutral or even positive tone than unrest.

  ferment指由新思想或剧变引发的令人兴奋的躁动或变化状态，语气比unrest更中性，甚至带有一些积极色彩。

  The country was in a state of political ferment as new parties emerged.

  随着新政党的出现，这个国家处于政治动荡变革之中。

Unrest and ferment both describe a disturbed state in society or politics. Unrest stresses dissatisfaction leading to protest or disorder, as in civil unrest. Ferment stresses excitement from new ideas or change, with a neutral or positive tone. Ferment's fermentation sense is not compared.

这两个词都可表示社会或政治上的不安定状态，但语气不同：unrest强调因不满而引发的骚乱、抗议或动荡，多用于社会骚乱、劳工纠纷等场合；ferment强调因新思想、变革而产生的亢奋、躁动状态，语气更中性甚至略带积极色彩，常用于政治变革、思想活跃等场合。这里不比较ferment表示“发酵”的动词义（如葡萄发酵酿酒）。