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
Many protestors continued to chant and stomp down at lawmakers as the House floor fell into chaos over parliamentary issues.
—
Melissa Brown, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The chaos of the presidency of Boris Yeltsin — in Paul Kynman’s hilarious performance, a pickled parade balloon — creates massive opportunities for grift and privatization that Berezovsky, with Putin in his pocket, is primed to exploit.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaos 
Melissa Brown, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The chaos of the presidency of Boris Yeltsin — in Paul Kynman’s hilarious performance, a pickled parade balloon — creates massive opportunities for grift and privatization that Berezovsky, with Putin in his pocket, is primed to exploit.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 22 Apr. 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 4 May. 2024.
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