anarchy

noun

an·​ar·​chy ˈa-nər-kē  -ˌnär- 

1

a

: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority

the city's descent into anarchy

After the massacres came anarchy …

—Alex de Waal

b

: absence of government

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 war zone

b

: absence of order : disorder

… not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature.

—Israel Shenker

3

: the theory, advocacy, or practice of anarchism

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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.”

Synonyms of anarchy

• chaos
• unrest
• lawlessness
• turmoil
• misrule

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 on the Web

Flynn said the rally should have never been allowed to escalate to the point of anarchy. —Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 15 Oct. 2025

Other dystopian genre films like The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston, or World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, imagine the anarchy coming from a virus that breaks society and turns neighbors into literal zombies. —Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

The film follows Amanda Aaltonen, a fiercely independent young woman with a spirit of anarchy and adventure. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025

The vehement characters DiCaprio and Taylor inhabit end up having a daughter out of wedlock during a time where their society is on the brink of anarchy. —Essence, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin anarchia, borrowed from Greek anarchía "lack of a leader, lawlessness," from ánarchos "without a head or chief, leaderless" (from an- an- + -archos, derivative of archós "leader, chief") + -ia -y entry 2 — more at -arch entry 1

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

anarchy

noun

an·​ar·​chy ˈan-ər-kē  -ˌär- 

1

: the condition of a country where there is no government

2

: a state of lawlessness, confusion, or disorder