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

That led to a chaotic event that was shut down days early. —CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025

Instead of a chaotic tree that screams retro, Gen Xers prefer specific themes and color schemes, Brien explains. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

This week’s meeting was, if anything, more chaotic. —Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025

Tuesday night’s results will cap off what has been — even by Miami standards — a chaotic election season with unusually partisan vibes. —Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 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