bedlam

noun

bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm How to pronounce bedlam (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
No disrespect to those who missed it, but those early screenings of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day were barely contained bedlam. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 4 July 2025 The overthrow of Yemen’s government hatched Houthi dominance; the fall of Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi yielded bedlam, instability, and violence. Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025 Now, Trump’s tariffs, volatility in the dollar and bedlam in the U.S. Treasury market are sending intensifying headwinds China’s way. William Pesek, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 Not that anybody would have noticed amid the bedlam and the throb of Newcastle’s grand, old stadium. George Caulkin, New York Times, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for bedlam

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bedlam was in 1522

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Cite this Entry

“Bedlam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedlam. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

bedlam

noun
bed·​lam ˈbed-ləm How to pronounce bedlam (audio)
: 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.

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