bedlam

noun

bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm 

1

: a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion

There was bedlam in the streets after the verdict was announced.

2

or Bedlam : an asylum for the mentally ill

3

obsolete : madman, lunatic

Synonyms

• madhouse
• circus
• commotion

Examples of bedlam in a Sentence

The park had never had so many visitors at one time. It was total bedlam.

French physician Philippe Pinel was instrumental in the transformation of bedlams from filthy hellholes to well-ordered, humane institutions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just as much bedlam erupted here at Weird and Wild World HQ. —Jayson Stark, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

Their journey to the Comiskey concert was typical of the bedlam that accompanied their performances. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025

No disrespect to those who missed it, but those early screenings of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day were barely contained bedlam. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 4 July 2025

The overthrow of Yemen’s government hatched Houthi dominance; the fall of Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi yielded bedlam, instability, and violence. —Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Bedlam, popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, London, an asylum for the mentally ill, from Middle English Bedlem Bethlehem

First Known Use

1522, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

bedlam

noun

bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm 

: a place or scene of uproar and confusion

Etymology

from Middle English Bedlem "Bethlehem"

Word Origin

Around 1402 the home of a religious community in London was turned into a hospital for the mentally ill. This new hospital kept the name of the community and was known as the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem. People soon shortened this name to Bethlehem. In Middle English, though, the town of Bethlehem in Palestine was called Bedlem or Bethlem, so this was the pronunciation used for the hospital's name. In time the name Bedlem or Bedlam came to refer to any home for the mentally ill. Today we use bedlam for any scene of noise and confusion like that found in the early hospitals for the mentally ill.