chaotic

adjective

cha·​ot·​ic kā-ˈä-tik 

1

: marked by chaos or being in a state of chaos : completely confused or disordered

a chaotic political race

After he became famous, his life became even more chaotic.

They may look chaotic and barbaric, but scrums are a critical and strategic part of the game, and they unfold and escalate according to hockey's venerated, unwritten rules of engagement.

—David Fleming

To the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …

—Diane Ruengsom

2

mathematics : having outcomes that can vary widely due to extremely small changes in initial conditions

In other words, what comes out of the program's equations is extremely sensitive to what goes in. And that, as any mathematician would recognize, is one of the hallmarks of chaotic systems.

—Ingrid Wickelgren

A physical system—a weather system, say—is chaotic if a very slight change in initial conditions sends the system off on a very different course.

—Physics Today

chaotically

kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a chaotically busy scene

Synonyms

• cluttered
• confused
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• disheveled
• dishevelled
• disordered
• disorderly
• higgledy-piggledy
• hugger-mugger
• jumbled
• littered
• messed
• messy
• muddled
• mussed
• mussy
• pell-mell
• rumpled
• sloppy
• topsy-turvy
• tousled
• tumbled
• unkempt
• untidy
• upside-down

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up

Recent Examples on the Web

More recently, at a time that feels similarly tumultuous and chaotic, Colonial Williamsburg and the Jane Austen House Museum have drawn a new wave of interest by teaming up with esteemed design brands to bring archival textiles, wallpapers, and paint colors to new life. —Cornelia Powers, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024

Launching Tuesday, the special was filmed in the slightly less chaotic locale of Hawaii, one of Chieng’s favorite places to work and vacation. —Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024

Well, outside of the chaotic final seconds where, with Washington clinging to a 7-point lead, a game official’s error stopped the clock, leaving the Saints with time to spike the ball, call a play and complete a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Foster Moreau as time expired. —Ben Standig, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

Most leaders progress in their careers by bringing order to an otherwise chaotic environment. —Bill Fischer, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1