Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

anarchy

noun an·ar·chy \ ˈa-nər-kē , -ˌnär- \

Definition of anarchy

1 a :absence of government
b :a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority
  • the city's descent into anarchy
c :a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government
2 a :absence or denial of any authority or established order
  • anarchy prevailed in the ghetto
b :absence of order :disorder
  • not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature
  • —Israel Shenker
3 :anarchism

See anarchy defined for English-language learners

See anarchy defined for kids

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

dallas-police-car
After Dallas, lookups increase for 'racism,' 'sniper,' 'divisive,' and more
anarchy
Anarchy: Trended on August 11, 2011
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz
alt-59e4fc1aaafd6
Trending: New Joe Ide Novel Causes 'Righteous' Spike

Examples of anarchy in a Sentence

  1. Its immigration policies in the last five years have become the envy of those in the West who see in all but the most restrictive laws the specter of terrorism and social anarchy. —Caroline Moorehead,  New York Review of Books,  16 Nov. 2006
  2. Fueled by booze and the euphoria of having seen their school win a share of its first … title in 36 years, a mob of Beavers fans hurled itself at the cops, breaching both chains and creating anarchy. —Austin Murphy,  Sports Illustrated,  27 Nov. 2000
  3. But by the early 1800s, the mines began to play out, and the colonists challenged the Spanish throne for independence. The Silver Cities survived not only the bloody revolution of 1821 but also the ensuing century of anarchy and bloodshed. —David Baird,  Continental,  February 1999
  4. The anarchy of the Internet may be daunting for the neophyte, but it differs little from the bibliographical chaos that is the result of five and a half centuries of the printing press. —Fred Lerner,  The Story of Libraries,  (1945) 1998

  5. Anarchy reigned in the empire's remote provinces.

  6. When the teacher was absent, there was anarchy in the classroom.

Recent Examples of anarchy from the Web

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

The Multiple Meanings of anarchy

Anarchy exemplifies how words may have similar yet distinctive meanings. The earliest recorded use of the word, from the early 16th century, meant simply “absence of government,” albeit with the implication of civil disorder. A similar but ameliorated meaning began to be employed in the 19th century in reference to a Utopian society that had no government. The establishment of these two senses of anarchy did not stop the word from being applied outside the realm of government with the broadened meaning ”a state of confusion or disorder.” The existence of definitions that are in semantic conflict does not imply that one (or more) of them is wrong; it simply shows that multisense words like anarchy mean different things in different contexts. Another example of a sense-shifting word relating to government is aristocracy. When first used in English, this word carried the sole meaning “government by the best individuals.” It may still be used in such a fashion, but more commonly, it is encountered in the extended sense “the aggregate of those believed to be superior.”

Origin and Etymology of anarchy

Medieval Latin anarchia, from Greek, from anarchos having no ruler, from an- + archos ruler — more at arch-

anarchy Synonyms

Synonyms
lawlessness, misrule
Related Words
anarchism; commotion, tumult, uproar; chaos, confusion, disarray, disorder, disorderliness, disorganization, misorder; disruption, disturbance, havoc, riot, strife, turbulence, turmoil, unrest, upheaval; mutiny, rebellion, revolution, uprising; criminality, outlawry
Near Antonyms
law, law-abidingness, lawfulness, legality, legitimacy, rule; calmness, harmony, order, orderliness, peace, peaceableness, peacefulness, quiet, tranquillity (or tranquility)

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

ANARCHY Defined for English Language Learners

anarchy

noun

Definition of anarchy for English Language Learners

  • : a situation of confusion and wild behavior in which the people in a country, group, organization, etc., are not controlled by rules or laws

Learn More about anarchy

  1. See words that rhyme with anarchy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for anarchy Spanish Central: Translation of anarchy Nglish: Translation of anarchy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of anarchy for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up anarchy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

euphony

play

pleasing or sweet sound

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  2. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  3. mike "microphone"

  4. moron “a very stupid person”

  5. terrorism “The use of violent acts to frighten"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

anarchy

Test Your Vocabulary

Forms of Government Quiz

  • knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
  • A gerontocracy is rule by:
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59e50f5a357b4
'Spox' May Go On The Record

From newsroom lingo to the mainstream

alt-59e506c5c02ae
C'mon, Of Course 'Myriad' Is a Noun

For a myriad of reasons

alt-59e12097b419d
'Gamut' and 'Gambit' (and 'Gauntlet' Too)

Know when to use (or run) each.

tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Some borrowed words don't get returned

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
rembrandt-painting-a-young-scholar-and-his-tutor
Original Meanings Quiz

A quiz for the pedantic and those annoyed by them!

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: anarchy in a Sentence
Editor's Note: The Multiple Meanings of anarchy