pandemonium
Americannoun
-
wild confusion; uproar
-
a place of uproar and chaos
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pandemonium
1660–70; after Pandaemonium, Milton's name in Paradise Lost for the capital of hell; see pan-, demon, -ium
Explanation
Pandemonium is chaos, total and utter craziness — like the stampede after your team won the championship, when everyone spilled onto the field at once, bouncing off each other. If you look carefully at the word pandemonium, you’ll see the word demon inside it. This makes sense, since the word pandemonium was coined in Milton’s Paradise Lost, where it was the name of the palace built in the middle of Hell. Milton wrote back in the 17th century. Nowadays, pandemonium crops up whenever journalists are describing a chaotic scene. High school students have been heard to use it to describe their lunchroom.
Vocabulary lists containing pandemonium
Words from "The Avengers"
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Refugee
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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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.
Pandemonium filled the courtroom — around 10,000 people had packed the courtroom and the streets to hear the verdict.
From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2023
Pandemonium followed at the final whistle - England finally ending their long wait for a major trophy.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2022
Pandemonium ensued when Swift unexpectedly announced the title and track list for her eighth studio album late last week — just hours before releasing all 16 songs to rave reviews.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2020
Pandemonium over the notion of slicing bagels like bread.
From Slate • Mar. 27, 2019
Pandemonium erupted, with people running in all directions to escape the cold blasts of water.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
