as in chaos
a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority
the anarchy that the country experienced after the dictator drained the treasury and fled the country
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Recent Examples of anarchy
Our government with three separate but co-equal branches exists precisely to prevent this kind of anarchy operating under a thin veneer of fiscal responsibility and shrewd cost-cutting.
—
Brian Schatz, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
In the years since, the mask has been adopted as a symbol of anarchy and protest worldwide.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
Excerpt The Mob Began to Think and Reason David Graeber
David Graeber, an anthropologist and key figure in the Occupy Wall Street protests, dissects the deeply undemocratic origins of America and the meaning of anarchy in this excerpt from his book The Democracy Project.
—Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
At this point, the United States must instead try again to directly engage China and Russia not only as nuclear adversaries to be deterred but also as potential collaborators in a final attempt to head off nuclear anarchy.
—Lewis A. Dunn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anarchy
Brian Schatz, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
In the years since, the mask has been adopted as a symbol of anarchy and protest worldwide.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
Excerpt The Mob Began to Think and Reason David Graeber
David Graeber, an anthropologist and key figure in the Occupy Wall Street protests, dissects the deeply undemocratic origins of America and the meaning of anarchy in this excerpt from his book The Democracy Project.
—Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
At this point, the United States must instead try again to directly engage China and Russia not only as nuclear adversaries to be deterred but also as potential collaborators in a final attempt to head off nuclear anarchy.
—Lewis A. Dunn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anarchy
Noun
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These days, the meaning of the holiday is that chaos.—
Marianne Eloise,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
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Amid the chaos of the past 11 days, Mooney’s family and friends have stayed vigilant and sought updates on her condition as frequently as possible.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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He has not been charged with any crimes over his activities during campus unrest at the university, which proponents say were aimed at curbing support for Israel and do not amount to antisemitic attacks on Jews.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
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Authorities blamed the unrest on armed remnants of the Assad government, but acknowledged that some of the civilian killings were the fault of undisciplined factions or individual actors.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But Haiti has been in constant turmoil, hampering U.S. efforts.—
Gisela Salomon,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2025
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Such a break in tradition would be catastrophic for the diamond industry, which is already in turmoil.—
Garth Friesen,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Hezbollah shares its chronic corruption and misrule with the other militias turned parties that have hollowed out the postwar Lebanese state.—
Youmna Melhem Chamieh,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Jan. 2025
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Nobody can disaggregate the effects of international policies from the impact of the Taliban’s awful misrule.—
Delaney Simon,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anarchy. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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