chaotic

adjective

cha·ot·ic kā-ˈä-tik

: 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

To the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …—

Diane Ruengsom

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

A 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

chaotically

kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē

adverb

a chaotically busy scene

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

a chaotic cellar sorely in need of some straightening up

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Fleetwood Mac somehow managed to merge their often chaotic and almost operatic personal lives into their own tale in real-time, which then became legend. —

Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2024 The snippets of him so far are entertainingly chaotic. —

Emma Soren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024 Cast members rushing in and out of scenes, detailed instructions from production stage manager Jennifer Hsu — which included everything from scene directions to lighting directions, to orchestra directions — and the wings packed with performers made backstage appear chaotic to the casual observer. —

Maxwell Alexander, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024 Having studied the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election, both were now eying plans to disrupt each of the procedural steps between Election Day and the Inauguration, such as the December 11th deadline for each state to ascertain a winner, and the December 17th meeting of each state’s electors. —

The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chaotic