chaotic

adjective

cha·​ot·​ic kā-ˈä-tik 

1

: marked by chaos or being in a state of chaos : completely confused or disordered

a chaotic political race

After he became famous, his life became even more chaotic.

They may look chaotic and barbaric, but scrums are a critical and strategic part of the game, and they unfold and escalate according to hockey's venerated, unwritten rules of engagement.

—David Fleming

To the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …

—Diane Ruengsom

2

mathematics : having outcomes that can vary widely due to extremely small changes in initial conditions

In other words, what comes out of the program's equations is extremely sensitive to what goes in. And that, as any mathematician would recognize, is one of the hallmarks of chaotic systems.

—Ingrid Wickelgren

A physical system—a weather system, say—is chaotic if a very slight change in initial conditions sends the system off on a very different course.

—Physics Today

chaotically

kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a chaotically busy scene

Synonyms of chaotic

• messy
• confused
• sloppy
• cluttered
• jumbled
• littered

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up

Recent Examples on the Web

Video from a witness posted on social media shows a chaotic scene, with more than 10 gunshots fired, thick clouds of black smoke billowing from the house. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026

This is one of the simplest ways to make bold art feel intentional rather than chaotic. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026

And in the absence of rules, Pivetta has no problem establishing law and order in something that can be as chaotic as fitting a couple dozen personalities onto a bus. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2026

The already wire-thin line between mother and owner threatens to snap as the saga rages on, and still, Corsini calmly invites you to circle his story’s chaotic cage from every possible angle. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chaotic

• glottic
• abiotic
• aeronautic
• apoptotic
• asymptotic
• cyanotic
• idiotic
• meiotic
• patriotic
• prebiotic
• probiotic
• semiotic