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

"We will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any harm to IDF servicemen and security forces who carry out their duties with dedication and determination."

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

Lincoln’s opposition to anarchy of any kind was absolute and clarion: “There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

It marks the death knell of the post–World War II settlement that, however imperfect, wrestled the anarchy of war into a framework designed to condition armed aggression on legal justification.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026

The only unifying element in this string of tales is anarchy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

In the world Michael-Mary Graham inhabited, her mild liberalism, a residue of her Bohemian youth, and her posture of sensitive lady poet passed for anarchy.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

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