chaos

noun cha·os \ ˈkā-ˌäs \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of chaos

1 a : a state of utter confusion

the blackout caused chaos throughout the city

b : a confused mass or mixture

a chaos of television antennas

2 a often capitalized : a state of things in which chance is supreme; especially : the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms — compare cosmos

b : the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart)

3 obsolete : chasm, abyss

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chaotic

play \kā-ˈä-tik\ adjective

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chaotically

play \kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of chaos in a Sentence

The loss of electricity caused chaos throughout the city.
When the police arrived, the street was in total chaos.
The country had descended into economic chaos.

Recent Examples of chaos from the Web

Photo: mohsin raza/Reuters The terror groups oppose democracy, aim to sow chaos and impose strict Islamic law.

— saeed shah, WSJ, "Deadly Bombings and Ex-Leader’s Arrest Roil Pakistan Before Vote," 13 July 2018
Following the chaos upon BTS' recent arrival in South Korea, some A.R.M.Y.s took to Twitter to reach out to one particular person for the group's protection: BTS stan John Cena.

— rita thompson, Billboard, "John Cena Has Graciously Volunteered to Be BTS' Bodyguard," 12 July 2018
Think earthquakes — one after another after another, jolting the landscape of international relations and leaving behind ever-greater chaos.

— heather hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "There Is No Cleaning Up the Foreign Policy Mess Trump Is Making," 11 July 2018
Meanwhile, Democratic hopes for chaos on the GOP side largely failed to materialize as incumbents coasted to easy wins — though at times wins with intriguing back-stories.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "3 winners and 2 losers from the primaries in South Carolina, New York, Utah, and Colorado," 27 June 2018
As entrenched as the voting chaos had become, the deep corruption in the 1888 presidential election, when Benjamin Harrison just barely ousted incumbent Grover Cleveland, was outrageous enough to incite a movement toward reform.

— kate keller, Smithsonian, "Why Are There Laws That Restrict What People Can Wear to the Polls?," 15 June 2018
At the Justice antitrust division, chaos is in control.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "Why an Antitrust Farce Must Continue," 13 July 2018
The piling chaos of the news cycle is a source of fear, anger, and paralyzing despair for many who read, if not directly experience it.

— ashwin rodrigues, Fortune, "Monsanto Executives Were Feeling Pretty Good About Current News Cycle," 12 July 2018
The chaos is not man-made but natural, as shown by the way in which small canoes have a hard time to try and navigate a way over an expanse of water full of trees and plants.

— boyd van hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Walden': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chaos.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chaos

Latin, from Greek — more at gum

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

chaos Synonyms

CHAOS Defined for English Language Learners

chaos

noun

Definition of chaos for English Language Learners

: complete confusion and disorder : a state in which behavior and events are not controlled by anything
: the state of the universe before there was any order and before stars and planets were formed