bedlam

noun

bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm 

1

: a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion

There was bedlam in the streets after the verdict was announced.

2

or Bedlam : an asylum for the mentally ill

3

obsolete : madman, lunatic

Synonyms of bedlam

• madhouse
• circus
• commotion

Examples of bedlam in a Sentence

The park had never had so many visitors at one time. It was total bedlam.

French physician Philippe Pinel was instrumental in the transformation of bedlams from filthy hellholes to well-ordered, humane institutions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Boise State isn’t immune to the struggles brought on by the transfer bedlam. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 1 Jan. 2026

To fashion the quintessential NYC set, Hollywood was the only way to go Hitchcock briefly considered shooting on location, but the filmmaker soon realized his vision would conflict with the bedlam of the Big Apple. —Nathan Smith, Architectural Digest, 9 Oct. 2025

Farmingdale, New York — After a weekend of absolute bedlam at Bethpage, the dust is settling on an extraordinary Ryder Cup competition. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025

As if the landscape, literally and figuratively, hadn’t already been disrupted by the seismic shifts, and bedlam, of conference realignment — a force that in many ways rendered trivial what was most special about collegiate athletics. —Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Bedlam, popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, London, an asylum for the mentally ill, from Middle English Bedlem Bethlehem

First Known Use

1522, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

bedlam

noun

bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm 

: a place or scene of uproar and confusion

Etymology

from Middle English Bedlem "Bethlehem"

Word Origin

Around 1402 the home of a religious community in London was turned into a hospital for the mentally ill. This new hospital kept the name of the community and was known as the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem. People soon shortened this name to Bethlehem. In Middle English, though, the town of Bethlehem in Palestine was called Bedlem or Bethlem, so this was the pronunciation used for the hospital's name. In time the name Bedlem or Bedlam came to refer to any home for the mentally ill. Today we use bedlam for any scene of noise and confusion like that found in the early hospitals for the mentally ill.