Synonyms of mayhem

mayhem

noun

as in violence

actions that hurt people and destroy things; a scene or situation that involves a lot of violence

Movies seem to be filled with murder and mayhem these days.

a criminal who escaped from prison and caused mayhem

Related Words

• violence
• brutality
• injury
• terror
• riot
• outrage
• mutilation
• crippling
• damage
• maiming
• attack
• harm
• savagery
• barbarity
• assault
• hurt
• foul play
• rampage
• threat
• frenzy
• impairment
• rage
• upheaval
• revolt
• shock
• detriment
• turbulence
• outbreak
• force
• fury
• thrashing
• onslaught
• smashing
• pummeling
• clubbing
• whipping
• mauling
• tumult
• bashing
• thumping
• pounding
• flogging
• whaling
• beating
• hammering
• buffeting
• paddling
• rupture
• drubbing
• paroxysm
• battery
• battering
• bludgeoning
• uproar
• licking
• pelting
• belting
• bullying
• lacing
• batting
• storm
• tromping
• walloping
• bulldozing
• cudgeling
• socking
• pommeling
• browbeating
• hectoring
• strong-arming

Dissimilar Words

• pacifism
• nonviolence
• pacificism

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mayhem

Hong, favoring a backward-facing view of the mayhem, shoots in lengthy takes that swerve and snake with rough-and-tumble precision; the energies of car and camera seem to fuse into one. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

The tester isn’t just improvising mayhem; a safety standard details the tests a product must pass, and a UL mark is shorthand for surviving. — Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026

The opening sequence shows the partners in mayhem, Jason Duval and Lucia Camino, arriving at an apartment as part of what appears to be a drug deal before getting involved in a shootout with police. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Simon Nuding, the head of safety for SailGP at the time, recalled that moment of mayhem. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

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