chaotic

adjective

cha·​ot·​ic kā-ˈä-tik 

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

chaotically

kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a chaotically busy scene

Synonyms of chaotic

• messy
• confused
• sloppy
• cluttered
• jumbled
• littered

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up

Recent Examples on the Web

Between earnest family traditions (Parenthood, This Is Us) and chaotic hijinks (Gilmore Girls, Modern Family), the best Thanksgiving episodes find creative ways to explore their characters' relationships, especially when their expectations don't align. —Allison Sadlier, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Nov. 2025

Sirens blared through a chaotic day as Chicago police responded to a Border Patrol call for help and confronted demonstrators. —CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

The chaotic confrontation in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday—when a demonstrator attempted to burn a Qur'an and Muslim counter-protesters surged—was more than a brief flash of drama. —MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Tension built until a chaotic morning argument erupted into physical fighting between siblings. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chaotic

• aprotic
• aquatic
• biotic
• cirrhotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• erotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic
• hypnotic