Definition of anarchy
1a : absence of governmentb : a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority the city's descent into anarchyc : a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government
2a : absence or denial of any authority or established order anarchy prevailed in the ghettob : absence of order : disorder not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature — Israel Shenker
3 : anarchism
Read the Latest from M-W
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.
Recent Examples of anarchy from the Web
-
The initial inspiration was viewing London in the late 1500s as the equivalent of London in the 1970s, a moment of artistic anarchy attempting to break free from traditional hierarchies.
-
ISIS’s Libyan branch has been regrouping after losing ground there, the New York Times reported back in March, taking advantage of that country’s present state of anarchy and copious supply of guns and unemployed young men.
-
Almost four decades ago, a struggling major league baseball team, a young deejay and a musical genre collided to create a small burst of anarchy in center field at Comiskey Park.
-
The destructive vanity of Herostratus must give Steve Bannon the odd boner, as nothing really gets sweaty ol' Bannon charged up like dumb, pointless anarchy.
-
Barely a day goes by without new scenes of flaming street anarchy or some horrific act of state violence.
-
Headed for the playoffs, the Anarchy have continued to practice three times a week because normalcy and routine are good for the soul.
-
These include After Nature: A Politics for the Anthropocene (Harvard University Press, 2015) and A Tolerable Anarchy: Rebels, Reactionaries, and the Making of American Freedom (2009).
-
While there’s plenty of hilarious Marx Brothers-style anarchy here, all the performances are dead serious in their ridiculousness, capturing the big, self-preserving egos beneath the small-town madness.
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-
Other Sociology Terms
ANARCHY Defined for English Language Learners
anarchy
playDefinition 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
-
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).
Writing? Check your grammar now!