anarchy

American  

[an-er-kee] / ˈæn ər ki /

noun

1. a state of society without government or law.

2. political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control.

   The death of the king was followed by a year of anarchy.

   Synonyms:

   turmoil, disruption, lawlessness

3. anarchism.

4. lack of obedience to an authority; insubordination.

   the anarchy of his rebellious teenage years.

5. confusion and disorder.

   Intellectual and moral anarchy followed his loss of faith.

   It was impossible to find the book I was looking for in the anarchy of his bookshelves.

   Synonyms:

   disintegration, disorganization, license, turbulence, disruption, chaos

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anarchy British  

/ ˈænəkɪ, ænˈɑːkɪk /

noun

1. general lawlessness and disorder, esp when thought to result from an absence or failure of government

2. the absence or lack of government

3. the absence of any guiding or uniting principle; disorder; chaos

4. the theory or practice of political anarchism

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Other Word Forms

• anarchic adjective
• anarchically adverb
• hyperanarchy noun
• proanarchy adjective

Etymology

Origin of anarchy

First recorded in 1530–40; from Middle French anarchie or Medieval Latin anarchia or directly from Greek anarchía “lawlessness,” literally, “lack of a leader,” equivalent to ánarch(os) “leaderless” ( an- “without, lacking” + arch(ós) “leader” + -os adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; an- ¹, -y ³

Explanation

Use the noun anarchy to describe a complete lack of government — or the chaotic state of affairs created by such an absence. A substitute teacher might worry that an unruly classroom will descend into anarchy. From the Greek for "without a ruler" we get this word for the political philosophy that the best government is no government at all — a movement that enjoyed surprising success worldwide in the early and middle parts of the twentieth century. Today, the word is more commonly used to describe not a political ideal but a state of total disorder, chaos and even violence: "A type of bloody anarchy is beginning to reign." A good synonym would be "lawlessness."

Example Sentences

Disconnecting electricity for millions or tens of millions of Iranians would have risked anarchy in the country and an exodus of people leaving Iran for Europe, perhaps the largest refugee crisis in history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The anti-Assad forces were splintered, mutually mistrustful and prone to looting; the areas they controlled descended into anarchy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Parents, as I can now attest, experience it as sleep-wrecking proof that the human construct of time is no match for the anarchy of toddlerdom.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2025

He admitted the protesters had legitimate concerns about the finance bill but said: "We cannot have a country that also is led through anarchy and mayhem."

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2025

I know it was only my imagination, but I felt like I could hear a chorus of Diegos encouraging me to say no to class and yes to anarchy.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• chaos
• confusion
• disorder
• disorganization
• lawlessness
• nihilism
• riot
• turmoil