Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

chaos

American  
[key-os] / ˈkeɪ ɒs /

noun

  1. a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.

    Synonyms:
    tumult, turmoil, jumble, disarray
    Antonyms:
    calm, peace, order

  2. any confused, disorderly mass.

    a chaos of meaningless phrases.

  3. the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.

  4. (initial capital letter) the personification of this in any of several ancient Greek myths.

  5. Obsolete. a chasm or abyss.

chaos British  
/ ˈkeɪɒs, keɪˈɒtɪk /

noun

  1. complete disorder; utter confusion

  2. (usually capital) the disordered formless matter supposed to have existed before the ordered universe

  3. an obsolete word for abyss

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
chaos Scientific  
/ kā′ŏs′ /

  1. The behavior of systems that follow deterministic laws but appear random and unpredictable. Chaotic systems very are sensitive to initial conditions; small changes in those conditions can lead to quite different outcomes. One example of chaotic behavior is the flow of air in conditions of turbulence.

  2. See more at fractal

chaos Cultural  

  1. A new branch of science that deals with systems whose evolution depends very sensitively upon the initial conditions. Turbulent flows of fluids (such as white water in a river) and the prediction of the weather are two areas where chaos theory has been applied with some success.

Other Word Forms

  • chaotic adjective
  • chaotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of chaos

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, Greek cháos; akin to chasm, yawn, gape

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.

Foundry, Palantir’s commercial platform, rose from the chaos of the scattered FDE teams, particularly in Europe.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

In any case, he insists, "Yes" is not about Israel per se; rather, the country serves merely as a setting in which to observe that "strong feeling of chaos" he sees in the world today.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

I turned 50 in the middle of the unraveling, sandwiched somewhere in the chaos of a second painful surgery and my mother’s death.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"Once they leave, things return to chaos – they need to be here permanently," the father of three said.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

The dining hall had turned into a free-for-all of chaos.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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.