chaotic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- chaotically adverb
- nonchaotic adjective
- nonchaotically adverb
- semichaotic adjective
- semichaotically adverb
- unchaotic adjective
- unchaotically adverb
Etymology
Origin of chaotic
Explanation
Something chaotic is really out of control or disorganized. Chaotic starts with a hard "K" sound (kay-AH-tick), but things that are chaotic are usually not OK, they're crazy disordered, like your crammed locker at the end of the school year. Chaotic is an adjective that comes from the noun "chaos," meaning complete and total confusion or lack of order. Your teacher might find it chaotic inside the bus on the way home from a field trip, with so much talking and singing and stored up energy bouncing around. A classic example of something chaotic is the running of the bulls in Spain, an event that lets people run the streets with a bunch of huge, sharp-horned bulls. It's totally chaotic!
Vocabulary lists containing chaotic
"Marigolds"
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"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A strike, she said, “can be very chaotic and very overwhelming,” especially for special-needs kids who depend upon consistency and routine.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
That left Derbyshire on 108-9 and a chaotic misunderstanding between Abbas and Zak Chappell resulted in the latter being run out for five to end the game and spark riotous Lancashire celebrations.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
A passenger traveling through Dubai International Airport in the early hours of March 19 described chaotic scenes as a siren went off just before his flight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The 32-year-old clothier regularly navigates chaotic traffic to deliver luxury clothes and footwear to customers across the megacity of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Some were short, chaotic flashes: puzzle pieces that formed an answer about which realm the soul belonged in.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
