chaotic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chaotic
Explanation
Something chaotic is really out of control or disorganized. Chaotic starts with a hard "K" sound (kay-AH-tick), but things that are chaotic are usually not OK, they're crazy disordered, like your crammed locker at the end of the school year. Chaotic is an adjective that comes from the noun "chaos," meaning complete and total confusion or lack of order. Your teacher might find it chaotic inside the bus on the way home from a field trip, with so much talking and singing and stored up energy bouncing around. A classic example of something chaotic is the running of the bulls in Spain, an event that lets people run the streets with a bunch of huge, sharp-horned bulls. It's totally chaotic!
Vocabulary lists containing chaotic
"Marigolds"
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"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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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.
County officials heralded the investigation for providing new details from the chaotic first hours of the firestorm, which highlighted incident commanders’ lack of situational awareness.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Colbert’s “Only in Monroe” guest appearance was chaotic and funny and warm in a way that no corporate product can be.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
While small magnetic fields are often chaotic and turbulent, much larger magnetic structures appear surprisingly organized.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
But that seemed like a week compared to the microbeat that decided Sunday’s chaotic race.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
What is terrifying about improv is the fact that it appears utterly random and chaotic.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
