1
: marked by chaos or being in a state of chaos : completely confused or disordered
a chaotic political race
After he became famous, his life became even more chaotic.
They may look chaotic and barbaric, but scrums are a critical and strategic part of the game, and they unfold and escalate according to hockey's venerated, unwritten rules of engagement.—
David Fleming
David FlemingTo the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …—Diane Ruengsom
Diane Ruengsom2
mathematics
: having outcomes that can vary widely due to extremely small changes in initial conditions
In other words, what comes out of the program's equations is extremely sensitive to what goes in. And that, as any mathematician would recognize, is one of the hallmarks of chaotic systems.—Ingrid Wickelgren
Ingrid WickelgrenA physical system—a weather system, say—is chaotic if a very slight change in initial conditions sends the system off on a very different course.—Physics Today
Physics TodayExamples of chaotic in a Sentence
a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up
Recent Examples on the Web
His lifestyle became chaotic and dangerous, riddled with violence and crime.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
Things got a little chaotic and dangerous when a rogue wheel momentarily became the star of a monster truck show.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 26 July 2025
Indeed, there is no type of recruiting as chaotic as what occurs when teams across the country are searching for their next quarterback.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Regardless of the legal issue, the idea that corporations could sidestep their national governments by lining up, one after the other, to each strike their own special deal with the White House has experts concerned that the rules of trade could end up becoming permanently chaotic.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
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Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
Things got a little chaotic and dangerous when a rogue wheel momentarily became the star of a monster truck show.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 26 July 2025
Indeed, there is no type of recruiting as chaotic as what occurs when teams across the country are searching for their next quarterback.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Regardless of the legal issue, the idea that corporations could sidestep their national governments by lining up, one after the other, to each strike their own special deal with the White House has experts concerned that the rules of trade could end up becoming permanently chaotic.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaotic
Cite this Entry
“Chaotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaotic. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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