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
David FlemingTo the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …—Diane Ruengsom
Diane Ruengsom2
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
Ingrid WickelgrenA 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
Physics TodayExamples of chaotic in a Sentence
a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up
Recent Examples on the Web
Monday's event was the latest congressional town hall to get chaotic.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
As a governance matter, some investors complained that the pivots are too chaotic.
—Justin Worland, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Eyewitnesses who experienced the shooting on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee describe a chaotic scene unfolding after reports of shots fired circulated.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The campaign is predictably Trumpian, built on a flagrantly pretextual basis and executed with the sort of vicious but chaotic idiocy that has always been a hallmark of the authoritarian mind.
—Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
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Joe Walsh, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025
As a governance matter, some investors complained that the pivots are too chaotic.
—Justin Worland, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Eyewitnesses who experienced the shooting on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee describe a chaotic scene unfolding after reports of shots fired circulated.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The campaign is predictably Trumpian, built on a flagrantly pretextual basis and executed with the sort of vicious but chaotic idiocy that has always been a hallmark of the authoritarian mind.
—Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
Cite this Entry
“Chaotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaotic. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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