anarchic

adjective an·ar·chic \ a-ˈnär-kik , ə- \

variants: or less commonly anarchical play \-ki-kəl\

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of anarchic

1 a : of, relating to, or advocating anarchy

b : likely to bring about anarchy

anarchic violence

2 : lacking order, regularity, or definiteness

anarchic art forms

—

anarchically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of anarchic in a Sentence

the citywide blackouts caused anarchic looting and rioting

Recent Examples of anarchic from the Web

The score by Hollmann and Kotis lacks the anarchic wit of their work in Urinetown.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Sting': Theater Review," 9 Apr. 2018
And Barinholtz, often too impish for his own good, tamps down his worst impulses to make Hunter more than an anarchic purveyor of one-liners.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Blockers Is an R-Rated Prom-Night Comedy With Heart," 6 Apr. 2018
Cities are also victims of the anarchic migrations of Negroes.

— martin luther king jr., The Atlantic, "The Crisis in America’s Cities," 31 Mar. 2018
Later, the libertarian ideologies of Silicon Valley celebrated the anarchic entrepreneur as a force disrupting stable corporate hierarchies.

— kim phillips-fein, The New Republic, "The 200-year legal struggle that led to Citizens United and gave corporations the rights of people," 29 Mar. 2018
But even in this anarchic space, rebels here and elsewhere throughout the country are providing some show of statehood.

— jack losh, Washington Post, "Rebels in the Central African Republic are filling the void of an absent government," 26 Mar. 2018
Thoreau drives to an extreme those implications of anarchic individualism which in the end must undercut both the fraternal vision and the democratic polity.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Delusions of Trump-Era Escapism," 19 Mar. 2018
Reddit’s system was purely democratic, which is to say anarchic.

— jane mayer, The New Yorker, "Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet," 12 Mar. 2018
Half-wild by then with the freedom of Their summer grazing among the furze and the heather, The white-faced Cheviots, elusive As the clouds streaming over the Wicklow peaks, Ran us and the young dogs ragged With their anarchic dodging and darting.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "A Celtic Medley: Poems By James Mele," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anarchic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of anarchic

1597

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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anarchic Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

ANARCHIC Defined for English Language Learners

anarchic

adjective

Definition of anarchic for English Language Learners

: not following or having any laws or rules : wild and uncontrolled

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