anarchic

adjective

an·​ar·​chic a-ˈnär-kik How to pronounce anarchic (audio)
ə-
variants or less commonly anarchical
1
a
: of, relating to, or advocating anarchy
b
: likely to bring about anarchy
anarchic violence
2
: lacking order, regularity, or definiteness
anarchic art forms
anarchically adverb

Examples of anarchic in a Sentence

the citywide blackouts caused anarchic looting and rioting
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Fragmented on normal days, the web bordered on anarchic Monday. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2025 The dark chaos of Keef’s beats are obvious, but the Indianapolis producer extracts what’s also really majestic and pretty about them, and the anarchic maximalism of Back From the Dead 2 feels like his main inspiration. Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 28 Feb. 2025 Regime realism, a notion developed by the Johns Hopkins historian Hal Brands, while not rejecting the anarchic pursuit of power as the main motivator for any nation, concedes that some work to preserve and even promote democracy is warranted. Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025 Their just cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anarchic

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from New Latin anarchicus, from Medieval Latin anarchia anarchy + Latin -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of anarchic was circa 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anarchic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anarchic. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

anarchic

adjective
an·​ar·​chic a-ˈnär-kik How to pronounce anarchic (audio)
ə-
: of or relating to anarchy
anarchically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on anarchic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!