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

• cluttered
• confused
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• disheveled
• 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

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up

Recent Examples on the Web

That two-minute sequence summed up the deficiencies and overall chaotic play. —Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 15 May 2025

The stunning image shows the classic spiral swirl of M81 — also known as Bode's Galaxy — suspended against the chaotic cloud patterns of the nebula, with the Cigar Galaxy lurking to its left. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 May 2025

Fearing President Donald Trump’s chaotic trade war would ignite a global recession, investors scrambled to dump US assets. —Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 May 2025

In today's chaotic environment, public stances carry reputation risks and must be tested for long-term brand impact and reputation costs. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 May 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