as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order
the boy's room is in such chaos that it looks as though a tornado had struck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chaos
Add to that the everyday chaos—keys, mail, laundry, and rogue receipts—and my once-tidy kitchen table is officially MIA.
—
Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
On the police side of the prosecutorial process, unruly anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis are facing few arrests despite the sanctuary city’s persisting chaos.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe this appreciation comes from my many 20 years of cruiser time, experiencing some solitary moments, interrupted by panic and chaos.
—Chick Pritchard, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
None of us need to manifest chaos.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaos
Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
On the police side of the prosecutorial process, unruly anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis are facing few arrests despite the sanctuary city’s persisting chaos.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe this appreciation comes from my many 20 years of cruiser time, experiencing some solitary moments, interrupted by panic and chaos.
—Chick Pritchard, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
None of us need to manifest chaos.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaos
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaos
Noun
-
Ebba Andersson tumbled and snapped the ski binding in the second leg, giving Norway the advantage on a day where warm weather caused slushy corners that created havoc in the early stages.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Three minutes of comedy chasing and evasive action ensued before play resumed, only for the four-legged fiend to return to wreak more havoc than the home attack had previously shown.—
Craig Chisnall,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Specifically, the bench is a dysfunctional mess.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
And now we’re stuck having to clean up this mess.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The result also spotlights conference championships’ awkward fit in the current system, particularly given the fact that conference expansion has led to jumbles atop each league’s standings.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Thirty-one years after founding the Vans Warped Tour, the pop-punk patriarch is looking at the modern music industry with a mixture of confusion and frustration.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The result is not merely confusion about who is responsible but a gradual weakening of the expectations that make responsibility meaningful at all.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Having earned degrees in political science and history at Ohio’s Miami University, Nixon was arguably over-qualified to be a roots-rocking, hell-raising provocateur who somehow was embraced by MTV for several years and went on to become the host of several shows on Sirius XM Radio.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
It is said that during Ramadan, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jazbi suffers from a severe blood disorder that requires medication, according to the committee.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Benjamin has an intellectual disability caused by a rare genetic disorder called Coffin-Sirus Syndrome, which can come with medical complications such as autism.—
Alyssa Ramos,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaos. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
