chaos
Americannoun
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chaos
plural
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a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.
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any confused, disorderly mass.
a chaos of meaningless phrases.
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the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.
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(initial capital letter) the personification of this in any of several ancient Greek myths.
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Obsolete. a chasm or abyss.
noun
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complete disorder; utter confusion
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(usually capital) the disordered formless matter supposed to have existed before the ordered universe
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an obsolete word for abyss
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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.
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See more at fractal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chaos
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, Greek cháos; akin to chasm, yawn, gape
Explanation
Chaos is a state of extreme confusion and disorder. Putting a dozen dogs and a dozen cats in the same room would probably lead to utter chaos. The word chaos derives from a Greek word meaning "chasm" or "void," which makes sense, given that chaos also refers to the formless state of matter before the cosmos was created. In math and science, chaos describes a system that will develop in wildly different ways with only tiny changes to the initial conditions. "Controlled chaos" is a phrase often used casually to describe something that looks out of control but which functions according to unseen rules or organization.
Vocabulary lists containing chaos
Mayhem! Chaos! Pandemonium!
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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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.
Cybersecurity was also a recurring theme at WSJ Tech: California this week, where several speakers painted a grim picture of the chaos cyberattacks could cause within the next few years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Behold: the state of chaos that my house has become!” she wrote, while posting photos from her dwelling on Instagram.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Actors Matt Rife and Owen Wilson of “Rolling Loud: The Movie” look back at the chaos of filming at a real-life music festival.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Companies across Europe are on heightened alert after a spate of suspected hacks of supermarket fridges and freezers in recent days caused chaos.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Now a new team of code breakers is on the case—linguists, crossword experts, chess masters, people who see patterns hidden in chaos.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
