anarchic
Americanadjective
-
of, like, or tending to anarchy.
-
advocating anarchy.
-
not regulated by law; lawless.
Anarchic bands pillaged the countryside.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anarchic
First recorded in 1780–90; either from French anarchique or anarch(y) + -ic
Explanation
Something that's anarchic is out of control or extremely disorganized. An anarchic classroom has no rules — it most likely has no teacher, either. Wars and political conflicts are frequently described as anarchic, particularly if they appear to be lawless and chaotic. Any situation that's lacking structure or rules can be called anarchic, like a wild, sugar-fueled birthday party or an anarchic swarm of gulls attacking a plate of French fries on a picnic table. The Greek root word is anarkhos, "without head or chief."
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.
Greece, for instance, has “genuinely anarchic development in some areas with a lot of illegal construction,” Bouisset said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Whether she directs that talent toward good or evil varies from episode to episode, but she embodies the scrappy, anarchic spirit of old-time New York.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Just look at the anarchic energy of The Spice Girls' Wannabe, or the seven-part pop Frankenstein that was Girls Aloud's Biology and ask yourself, "Could Westlife have pulled that off?"
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
The 7-time national championship winner observed college football’s anarchic new landscape a few years ago and said: You know what sounds fun?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
High school is neither a democracy nor a dictatorship—nor, contrary to popular belief, an anarchic state.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
