as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chaotic
Add to that mix a polarizing president with sinking approval ratings, an uncertain economy and chaotic recent scenes from Minneapolis, where two protesters were fatally shot by federal agents last month during an immigration crackdown.
—
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
Travelers posted chaotic cellphone videos on social media showing people running for safety at the Puerto Vallarta airport.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
Video footage on social media showed chaotic panic at the airport in Guadalajara, and smoke rising over Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
The process has been chaotic at times.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026
Travelers posted chaotic cellphone videos on social media showing people running for safety at the Puerto Vallarta airport.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
Video footage on social media showed chaotic panic at the airport in Guadalajara, and smoke rising over Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
The process has been chaotic at times.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaotic
Adjective
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Meanwhile, at the Milan Fashion Week show, the star embraced an edgy aesthetic with a messy low ponytail and smudged black eyeliner with smoky navy eyeshadow.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
26 Feb. 2026
-
That unfolding intra-family fight is messy, to put it mildly, but one that Democrats are relishing.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Shoppers were confused and frustrated after finding out the shopping center was closed on a normally busy Friday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
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Would fans be confused if the persistent graphic displayed a call different than the one offered in real time by the still-very-much-there ump?—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Compared to the absolving gleam of latex, sloppy imperfection isn’t especially sexy.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Against the Raptors, that translated into sloppy basketball.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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If your kitchen is looking cluttered from a long winter of cooking comfort meals and baking over the holidays, the best way to prepare it for a spring deep clean is by tackling clutter in cabinets, on counters, and on pantry shelves to organize every surface.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
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Your counter space just got a little less cluttered.—
Jamie Weissman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The words sound like magnetic fridge poetry—jumbled and foreign in her mouth.—
Olivia Horn,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
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Yet all this beauty ultimately does not save a jumbled narrative.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.—
Scarlett Harris,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chaotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaotic. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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