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

One runner was gored in the face and many more were fortunate to not be seriously injured during a chaotic bull run at Spain’s San Fermin festival on Saturday. — ABC News, 11 July 2026

As such, Katie needs to embark on a prolonged business trip, leaving the couple’s three daughters and perfectly run household in the care of Nate, who must learn to adjust to his new — and very chaotic — life as a stay-at-home dad. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

On the other hand, biodiversity is far too important an issue to be steered at once by the chaotic whims of Silicon Valley, the legal battles waged by environmental nonprofits, and the old, sclerotic levers of government bureaucracy. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026

The bullets that struck the car were fired by Miami police officers, the only ones who discharged weapons during the chaotic aftermath of a fight that started inside the club, according to the lawsuit. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chaotic

• glottic
• abiotic
• aeronautic
• apoptotic
• asymptotic
• cyanotic
• idiotic
• meiotic
• patriotic
• prebiotic
• probiotic
• semiotic