as in anarchy
a situation of confused and wild behavior in which the people in a country, group, organization, etc., are not controlled by rules or laws
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Recent Examples of anarchism
Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
McKinley lived at a time when economic recessions were not uncommon and anarchism was on the rise.
—Aroop Mukharji, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2025
With Marxism tainted by its aggressive materialism, and mere democratic socialism so mere, anarchism could be imagined as a series of defiant spiritual acts.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The Real Story of Black Anarchists Often in the news today, anarchism is widely misunderstood.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anarchism
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
McKinley lived at a time when economic recessions were not uncommon and anarchism was on the rise.
—Aroop Mukharji, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2025
With Marxism tainted by its aggressive materialism, and mere democratic socialism so mere, anarchism could be imagined as a series of defiant spiritual acts.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The Real Story of Black Anarchists Often in the news today, anarchism is widely misunderstood.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anarchism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anarchism
Noun
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No one brought up this grave development, the swift début of silver slowly turning soulless gray, then just an anarchy of wire, ’til one by one your glistening strands betray you, disengage and drift.—
Patricia Smith,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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The grandfather also showed him the sorry sight of contemporary hedges deformed by diabolical flail trimmers that chewed the natural architecture of branches into an anarchy of twigs.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Thelma stopped reading at the sound of a commotion: loud thuds and shoes slapping on the floor.—
Joshua Sharpe
August 6,
Literary Hub,
6 Aug. 2025
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In an episode full of all kinds of commotion, the most consequential plotline is Miranda’s son Brady getting a two-time hookup pregnant.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anarchism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anarchism. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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