chaos

Meaning

1. The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony.
2. Any state of disorder; a confused or amorphous mixture or conglomeration.
3. A behaviour of iterative non-linear systems in which arbitrarily small variations in initial conditions become magnified over time.
4. One of the two metaphysical forces of the world in some fantasy settings, as opposed to law.
5. (obsolete) A vast chasm or abyss.
6. (obsolete) A given medium; a space in which something exists or lives; an environment.

Synonyms

confusion

disorder

turmoil

mess

tangle

havoc

clutter

bedlam

jumble

tumult

disorganization

disturbance

mayhem

muddle

pandemonium

anarchy

disorderliness

shambles

disarray

muss

commotion

topsyturvydom

uproar

topsy-turvydom

topsy-turvyness

riot

potpourri

razzmatazz

sabotage

tempest

turbid

turbulence

upheaval

war

welter

balagan

cause confusion

Chaos

the end of the world

lack of order

kettle of fish

there is confusion

babel

bustle

clamour

collapse

disarrangement

discomposure

discord

dislocation

disruption

doomsday

flurry

fuss

gallimaufry

kerfuffle

lawlessness

maelstrom

maze

mishmash

misrule

mix up

noisy

out of order

perplex

perplexity

perturbation

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkeɪ.ɒs/

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “vast chasm, void”). Doublet of gas, which was borrowed through Dutch.
In Early Modern English, used in the sense of the original Greek word. In the meaning "primordial matter" from the 16th century. Figurative usage in the sense "confusion, disorder" from the 17th century. The technical sense in mathematics and science dates from the 1960s.