as in chaos
a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority
the anarchy that the country experienced after the dictator drained the treasury and fled the country
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Recent Examples of anarchy
Barry Solomon, Fort Lauderdale Common sense or insanity? Do Americans want anarchy or law and order?
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Trump used the excuse of anarchy and lawlessness on the street to inject the National Guard and the Marines into L.A., despite not being legally allowed to do so.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 June 2025
And, to be clear, there are some people who use protests like the ones against Trump’s immigration raids as a cover and excuse to pursue an extraneous agenda of violence and anarchy.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
To sustain the campaign’s military achievements for the long term and prevent secured areas from falling into Hamas’s hands, anarchy or insurgency, the plan assumed that an alternative governance structure to Hamas would emerge in areas where the organization was defeated.
—Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anarchy
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Trump used the excuse of anarchy and lawlessness on the street to inject the National Guard and the Marines into L.A., despite not being legally allowed to do so.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 June 2025
And, to be clear, there are some people who use protests like the ones against Trump’s immigration raids as a cover and excuse to pursue an extraneous agenda of violence and anarchy.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
To sustain the campaign’s military achievements for the long term and prevent secured areas from falling into Hamas’s hands, anarchy or insurgency, the plan assumed that an alternative governance structure to Hamas would emerge in areas where the organization was defeated.
—Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anarchy
Noun
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Among the chaos is Rupert Friend, playing Martin Krebs, who's assembling a group to take to the scene of the devastation in hopes of extracting DNA from the creatures roaming the island to fund his next medical breakthrough.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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Israel has also expanded its military footprint beyond the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, amid the chaos following the ouster of Assad.—
H.A. Hellyer,
Time,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Park’s father was among those armed shopkeepers during the unrest.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
9 July 2025
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Gunn acknowledged that the movie’s themes may be interpreted differently across political groups, especially considering the current nationwide unrest around immigration.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Especially given the turmoil with the other edge rushers, eyes are focused on seeing if Murphy looks like the same underachiever from the first two years or a blossoming athletic specimen.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
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The turmoil points to a clash on competing visions over how to run the economy.—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Other observers said that General Nguema had mainly benefited from the Gabonese people’s disenchantment with decades of misrule.—
Elian Peltier,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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The 22-year-old Palestinian man joined protests in the Gaza Strip last week to demand an end to 18 years of Hamas’ violent misrule in the territory.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anarchy. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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