chaos

noun

cha·​os ˈkā-ˌäs 

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)

3

obsolete : chasm, abyss

Synonyms

• chance-medley
• confusion
• disarrangement
• disarray
• dishevelment
• disorder
• disorderedness
• disorderliness
• disorganization
• free-for-all
• havoc
• heck
• hell
• jumble
• mare's nest
• mess
• messiness
• misorder
• muddle
• muss
• shambles
• snake pit
• tumble
• welter

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

But in the chaos a new experiment bubbled to the surface. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025

None of the six conferences managed to get all four top seeds to the semifinal round, but the level of chaos varied widely from one conference to the next. —Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

While flooding the zone with executive orders and breaking news in the form of planned chaos, there is generally a method to the madness. —W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Mar. 2025

Staying with politics, the Trump government has brought a lot of chaos to international trade with his tariff wars. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek — more at gum

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing chaos

• chaos theory

Kids Definition

chaos

noun

cha·​os ˈkā-ˌäs 

: complete confusion

chaotic

kā-ˈät-ik 

adjective

chaotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb