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.”

Examples of anarchy in a Sentence

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 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 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 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 Anarchy reigned in the empire's remote provinces. When the teacher was absent, there was anarchy in the classroom. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The clarity of his moral politics may be appealing, but the radical autonomy of his approach amounts to anarchy. — Sam Negus, National Review, 3 July 2022 Boston native Charlotte Sands performed metallic emo-pop under a logo that replaced the A’s in her name with an anarchy symbol and a broken heart, which summed her up well. — Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2022 The rage at the failure and corruption of a ruling elite has been matched by generosity and ingenuity to prevent complete collapse and anarchy. — BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 Some call them spa plates or have an eek, a getcheroni, a goblin meal, rags and bottles, engage in an anarchy kitchen or a blackout bingo, go feral, go Darwin, oogle moogle or serve a jungle dinner. — G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 Fortunately for these depositors, the law doesn't think in terms of either financial anarchy or legal mists, but instead operates to sort things out into discrete pigeonholes. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 27 June 2022 The recall of left-wing prosecutor Chesa Boudin in San Francisco and the rise of mayoral candidate Rick Caruso in Los Angeles are apt punishment for progressive policies that have produced rising urban anarchy. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 June 2022 Symptoms included spitting in the face of authority, sticking pins through the septums of their noses, and embracing anarchy. — Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 1 June 2022 Maybe only once or twice was there anything in the set that felt like a few bars of jazz fusion, but White’s lead guitar playing has that mixture of precision and the suggestion that anarchy is just a step away that much of the best jazz has. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 June 2022 See More

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.