1
a
: a state of utter confusion
the blackout caused chaos throughout the city
b
: a confused mass or mixture
a chaos of television antennas
2
a
often capitalized
: a state of things in which chance is supreme
especially
: the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms compare cosmos
b
: the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart)
Synonyms
Examples of chaos in a Sentence
The loss of electricity caused chaos throughout the city.
When the police arrived, the street was in total chaos.
The country had descended into economic chaos.
Recent Examples on the Web
The new Folie a Deux clip comes after Joker released a new trailer, which saw clips of Phoenix descending into chaos.
—
Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2024
Haiti’s tragic descent into chaos showcases how peacekeeping cannot accomplish its ultimate goals without a strong political process implemented in parallel—and demonstrates the dangers of withdrawing peacekeepers before durable peace has been achieved.
—Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2024
Lower your debt and put your energy into transforming chaos into peace.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2024
All is chaos as László Roth (Adrien Brody) makes his way from Hungary to the United States at the end of the Second World War.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaos 
Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2024
Haiti’s tragic descent into chaos showcases how peacekeeping cannot accomplish its ultimate goals without a strong political process implemented in parallel—and demonstrates the dangers of withdrawing peacekeepers before durable peace has been achieved.
—Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2024
Lower your debt and put your energy into transforming chaos into peace.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2024
All is chaos as László Roth (Adrien Brody) makes his way from Hungary to the United States at the end of the Second World War.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaos
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chaos.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chaos
Cite this Entry
“Chaos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaos. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.
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