chaos
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cha·os
(kā′ŏs′)n.
1. A condition or place of great disorder or confusion.
2. A disorderly mass; a jumble: The desk was a chaos of papers and unopened letters.
3. often Chaos The disordered state of unformed matter and infinite space supposed in some cosmogonic views to have existed before the ordered universe.
4. Chaos theory.
5. Mathematics A dynamical system that has a sensitive dependence on its initial conditions.
6. Obsolete An abyss; a chasm.
[Middle English, formless primordial space, from Latin, from Greek khaos.]
cha·ot′ic (-ŏt′ĭk) adj.
cha·ot′i·cal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
chaos
(ˈkeɪɒs)n
1. complete disorder; utter confusion
2. (Classical Myth & Legend) (usually capital) the disordered formless matter supposed to have existed before the ordered universe
3. an obsolete word for abyss
[C15: from Latin, from Greek khaos; compare chasm, yawn]
chaotic adj
chaˈotically adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
cha•os
(ˈkeɪ ɒs)n.
1. a state of utter confusion.
2. any disorderly mass.
3. the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the creation of the universe.
4. Physics, Math.
a. the nonlinear, deterministic behavior of certain systems, as the appearance of strange attractors or fractal structure in graphical representations of a system's evolution.
b. the discipline that studies such behavior.
5. Obs. a chasm or abyss.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin < Greek; akin to chasm]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
cha·os
(kā′ŏs′) Mathematics
A system, such as the weather, that develops from a set of often simple initial conditions but behaves very differently if the initial conditions are changed even slightly. Chaotic systems often appear random and unpredictable, but in fact have regular patterns that are repeated at any scale of observation. See more at fractal.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Chaos
any confused or disorderly collection or state of things; a conglomeration of parts or elements without order or connexion. See also clutter, confusion.Examples: chaos of accidental knowledge; of foul disorders, 1579; of green and grey mists, 1878; of laws and regulations, 1781.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  chaos - a state of extreme confusion and disorderconfusion - disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably; "the army retreated in confusion" balagan - a word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it is a loan word from Russian); "it was utter and complete balagan!" |
| 2. | chaos - the formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy | |
| 3. | Chaos - (Greek mythology) the most ancient of gods; the personification of the infinity of space preceding creation of the universe Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks | |
| 4. | chaos - (physics) a dynamical system that is extremely sensitive to its initial conditions natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics" dynamical system - (physics) a phase space together with a transformation of that space |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
chaos
noun disorder, confusion, mayhem, anarchy, lawlessness, pandemonium, entropy, bedlam, tumult, disorganization The country appears to be sliding towards chaos.
organization, neatness, tidiness, orderliness
organization, neatness, tidiness, orderliness
Quotations
"Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds" [George Santayana Dominations and Powers]
"Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit" [Henry Brooks Adams The Education of Henry Adams]
"Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds" [George Santayana Dominations and Powers]
"Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit" [Henry Brooks Adams The Education of Henry Adams]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
chaos
nounA lack of order or regular arrangement:
clutter, confusedness, confusion, derangement, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mess, mix-up, muddle, muss, scramble, topsy-turviness, tumble.
Slang: snafu.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
chaos
kaosvirvar
kaaossekasortoepäjärjestys
kaos
káosz
kekacauan
kaós, óreiîa
カオス大混乱
혼돈
chaotiškaichaotiškasnetvarka
haoss
haos
chaos
kaos
ความสับสน
sự hỗn loạn
chaos
[ˈkeiɒs]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
chaos
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
chaos
(ˈkeios) noun complete disorder or confusion. The place was in utter chaos after the burglary.
chaˈotic (-tik) adjectivechaˈotically adverb
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
chaos
→ فَوْضَى chaos kaos Chaos χάος caos kaaos chaos kaos caos 大混乱 혼돈 chaos kaos zamieszanie caos хаос kaos ความสับสน kargaşa sự hỗn loạn 混乱Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
cha·os
n. caos, desorden.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012