chaos

noun

ˈkā-ˌäs How to pronounce chaos (audio)
Definition of chaosnext
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order the boy's room is in such chaos that it looks as though a tornado had struck

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chaos Just a few smart organization finds though can help keep the entire family on track for the chaos of the season. — Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Amid the carnage and chaos, and her desperate outreach to authorities and locals, Sharma sent a message to her missing parents themselves. — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026 Sabrina Blanchard and Luca Matteucci/AFP via Getty Images Steiner said a mass of glacial ice dropping from a great height could have felt like a bomb exploding, resulting in the chaos that followed. — CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Amid the cinematic chaos of what those Transformers movies would be, there was still Optimus Prime, anchoring the whole thing to some semblance of nobility. — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaos
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaos
  1. havoc
  2. mess
  3. jumble
  4. confusion
  5. hell
  6. disorder
Noun
  • His worldview has brought nothing but havoc to Americans, whereas Parton provided a guidebook for a national redemption.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • After a stop in the NFL, former Mississippi tight end Dae’Quan Wright could be heading to LSU thanks to a court order that is creating havoc throughout college sports by allowing Wright and others an unexpected fifth year of eligibility.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • The defense was organized and rebounded well from some early breakdowns on stretch running plays, and Petrino’s offense doesn’t look like the mess Freddie Kitchens’ group was last year.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In another drawing, a Cubist mess of igloos and sandcastles lay in a heap.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of mess
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble
Noun
  • The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers.
    — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Aggregators typically disclose this information in their search filters, and knowing it in advance avoids confusion on arrival.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusion
Noun
  • National Treasure 3 has been long discussed but remained in development hell for almost two full decades.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For six years and five seasons, Netflix’s treasure-hunting drama Outer Banks has put its North Carolina teens through absolute hell just to keep viewers hooked.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hell
Noun
  • Aaronson pointed to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy, a measure of disorder, tends to increase over time.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Buprenorphine, semisynthetic opioid medication used primarily to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and to manage severe chronic pain.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disorder

Browse Nearby Words

chants
chaos
chaoses
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Cite this Entry

“Chaos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaos. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chaos

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chaos

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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