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.
But the chaotic geopolitical scene is likely to overshadow such considerations at this year's meeting.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
When actually the true version of ourselves is kind of messy, chaotic and vulnerable.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
As international fans flooded into the three tournament co-host countries, Mexico is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
The hostilities haunt many Lebanese, who endured the country’s last chaotic civil war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
During that single chaotic night, 100 trains carrying 150,000 people left the station in Moscow.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
