anarchy

[an-er-kee]

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

anarchy

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of anarchy¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of anarchy¹

C16: from Medieval Latin anarchia, from Greek anarkhia, from anarkhos without a ruler, from _an- + arkh- leader, from arkhein to rule

Example Sentences

“There is fear of the ultimate Israeli objective in this war and, in the short term, fear of anarchy.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The first few events sat somewhere between performance art and pure anarchy.

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Unlike anarchy, economic chaos is driven by creative destruction, and productivity is a long-term plus.

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Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

Read more on BBC

The absurdity of a fast-food slam pit, bodies and burgers briefly airborne — suggests anarchy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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