upheaval vs ferment

upheaval and ferment both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
upheaval	Yes	No	No	No
ferment	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, ferment is a hyponym of upheaval; that is, ferment is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than upheaval:

upheaval: a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)
ferment: a state of agitation or turbulent change or development

Other hyponyms of upheaval include agitation, fermentation, tempestuousness, unrest, roller coaster, violence.

upheaval (noun)	ferment (noun)
disturbance usually in protest	a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol
(geology) a rise of land to a higher elevation (as in the process of mountain building)	a state of agitation or turbulent change or development
a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)	a substance capable of bringing about fermentation
a violent disturbance

upheaval (verb)	ferment (verb)
	go sour or spoil
	cause to undergo fermentation
	work up into agitation or excitement
	be in an agitated or excited state