pandemonium

noun

pan·​de·​mo·​ni·​um ˌpan-də-ˈmō-nē-əm How to pronounce pandemonium (audio)
1
: a wild uproar (as because of anger or excitement in a crowd of people)
Pandemonium erupted in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.
The game is stopped on account of pandemonium: players and spectators are screaming and staggering around the court …Darcy Frey
also : a chaotic situation
It is obvious that pandemonium would exist at most uncontrolled airports if every pilot did not conscientiously follow the traffic pattern. Joseph W. Benkert
2
capitalized : the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost
3
capitalized : the infernal regions : hell
the demons of Pandemonium

Did you know?

When John Milton needed a name for the gathering place of all demons for Paradise Lost, he turned to the classics as any sensible 17th-century writer would. Pandæmonium, as the capital of Hell is known in the epic poem, combines the Greek prefix pan-, meaning “all,” with the Late Latin daemonium, meaning “evil spirit.” (Daemonium itself traces back to the far more innocuous Greek word daímōn, meaning “spirit” or “divine power.”) Over time, Pandæmonium (or Pandemonium) came to designate all of hell and was used as well for earthbound dens of wickedness and sin. By the late-18th century, the word implied a place or state of confusion or uproar, and from there, it didn’t take long for pandemonium to become associated with states of utter disorder and wildness.

Examples of pandemonium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Banking across Europe imploded, and pandemonium broke out on Wall Street. TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 Two effigies dressed like Swift and Kelce, which had been made for an upcoming festival put on by the Young Women's League of New Canaan, are thought to have sparked the pandemonium. EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023 But there was plenty that the audience at home didn’t see, from the pre-show pandemonium caused by late arrivals to the sweetest interactions at the Governor’s Ball after party. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The pandemonium began in 1997 with the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Carvajal's goal to put Madrid in front in the final moments of stoppage time – with a nice assist from Bellingham – threw Santiago Bernabéu Stadium into a state of pandemonium. Jack McKessy, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 Swift attended Kelce's game at Arrowhead Stadium in September, resulting in pandemonium among Swifties and the NFL. EW.com, 20 Nov. 2023 But the young-moons story is far from certain—the sheer number of craters many display suggests that the moons have been around to experience the solar system’s pinball-like pandemonium for many an eon. WIRED, 24 Dec. 2023 These are pictures of hallucinatory states of mind, collective PTSD, and pandemonium — chaos held in check by Schutz’s sure touch and stately composition. Vulture, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pandemonium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

pan- + Late Latin daemonium "evil spirit," borrowed from Greek daimónion "evil spirit," earlier "divine power, inferior divine being," derivative of daímōn "divinity, divine power, individual destiny" (with -ium probably to be read as Latin -ium or Greek -eion, suffixes of place) — more at demon

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of pandemonium was in 1667

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Cite this Entry

“Pandemonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemonium. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pandemonium

noun
pan·​de·​mo·​ni·​um
ˌpan-də-ˈmō-nē-əm
: a wild uproar : tumult
Etymology

from Pandemonium, name of the place of demons in Paradise Lost by John Milton, from Greek pan- "all, every, completely" and Greek daimon "evil spirit, demon"

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