cha·ot·ic | \ kā-ˈä-tik 
\
\Definition of chaotic
1 : marked by chaos or being in a state of chaos : completely confused or disordered
a chaotic political race After he became famous, his life became even more chaotic. They may look chaotic and barbaric, but scrums are a critical and strategic part of the game, and they unfold and escalate according to hockey's venerated, unwritten rules of engagement.— David Fleming To the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …— Diane Ruengsom
2 mathematics : having outcomes that can vary widely due to extremely small changes in initial conditions
In other words, what comes out of the program's equations is extremely sensitive to what goes in. And that, as any mathematician would recognize, is one of the hallmarks of chaotic systems.— Ingrid Wickelgren A physical system—a weather system, say—is chaotic if a very slight change in initial conditions sends the system off on a very different course. — Physics Today
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from chaotic
chaotically \ kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē \ adverb
\ adverb
a chaotically busy scene
Synonyms & Antonyms for chaotic
Synonyms
- cluttered,
- confused,
- disarranged,
- disarrayed,
- disheveled
- (or dishevelled),
- disordered,
- disorderly,
- higgledy-piggledy,
- hugger-mugger,
- jumbled,
- littered,
- messed,
- messy,
- muddled,
- mussed,
- mussy,
- pell-mell,
- rumpled,
- sloppy,
- topsy-turvy,
- tousled,
- tumbled,
- unkempt,
- untidy,
- upside-down
Antonyms
- bandbox,
- crisp,
- kempt,
- neat,
- neatened,
- ordered,
- orderly,
- organized,
- shipshape,
- snug,
- tidied,
- tidy,
- trim,
- uncluttered,
- well-ordered
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for chaotic
chaotic
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of chaotic
: in a state of complete confusion or disorder
See the full definition for chaotic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
chaotic
adjectivecha·ot·ic | \ kā-ˈä-tik \
Kids Definition of chaotic
: in a state of or characterized by complete confusion and disorder
Everyone descended on the table in a chaotic flurry, knocking over glasses and sending forks onto the floor …— Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on chaotic
What made you want to look up chaotic? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- Farm Idioms Quiz
Not your children's farm quiz.
Take the quiz - Forms of Government Quiz
Name that government! Or something like that.
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put i...
Play the game
Share chaotic
Time Traveler for chaotic
The first known use of chaotic was in 1688
See more words from the same year