chaos

cha·os
C3H4A1O1S1
UK/ˈkeɪ.ɒs/British, Southern, Standard/ˈkɛjɔs/US/ˈkeɪˌɑs/Australia/ˈkæɪ.ɔs/

noun

The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony.

“to descend into chaos”

Opposite
CommonScrabble 10

Meanings

chaos1

nounchaos (usually uncountable, plural chaoses)

plural chaoses

  1. uncountableusuallyThe unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony.
  2. uncountableusuallyAny state of disorder; a confused or amorphous mixture or conglomeration.

    to descend into chaos

    2 more examples

    After the earthquake, the local hospital was in chaos

    or out of these chaoses order may be made, out of this ferment a clear wine of life. There are chaoses that have gone too far for retrieval

    1977, Irwin Edman, Adam, the Baby, and the Man from Mars, page 54
  3. uncountableusuallymathematicsA behavior of iterative nonlinear systems in which arbitrarily small variations in initial conditions become magnified over time.
  4. uncountableusuallyfantasyOne of the two metaphysical forces of the world in some fantasy settings, as opposed to law.
  5. obsoleteuncountableusuallyA vast chasm or abyss.
  6. obsoleterareuncountableusuallyA given medium; a space in which something exists or lives; an environment.

    What is in the centre of the earth, or is it pure element only, as Ariſtotle decrees inhabited as Paracelſus thinks with creatures, whoſe Chaos is the earth with Fairies, as the woods and waters according to him, are with Nymphes or as the ayre with ſpirits.

    1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Aire rectified. With a digression of the Aire.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 2, member 3, page 320

Chaos2

proper noun
  1. Greekhuman sciencesIn Greek mythology, the primordial state of disorder that exists before the creation of the world, or the first being or deity to exist.
  2. astronomyA planetoid and cubewano orbiting in the Kuiper belt.

    Synonyms: 19521 Chaos

  3. fantasyIn the Warhammer franchise, a demonic antagonist that sends demons, monsters, warriors, and beasts to wage war on the games' setting.

    Chaos warrior, Chaos daemon

CHAOS3

nounCHAOS (uncountable)
  1. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of congenital high airway obstruction syndrome.
  2. abbreviationinitialismslanguncountableInitialism of can't have anyone over syndrome.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA planetoid and cubewano orbiting in the Kuiper belt.

Similar
19521 Chaos
Similar

antonym(s) of “classical cosmogony”

Opposite

antonym(s) of “state of disorder”

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

nouna state of extreme confusion and disorder

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

chaos · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰeh₂-
  2. Ancient Greekχαῦνος (khaûnos)
  3. Ancient Greekχάος (kháos)
  4. Englishchaos

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “vast chasm, void”). Doublet of gas, which was borrowed through Dutch. Displaced native Old English dwolma. 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.

Full word history & related roots →

Chaos · proper noun

  1. Ancient Greekχάος
  2. Latinchaos“chaos”
  3. EnglishChaos

From Latin chaos (“chaos”), from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek χάος, ταραχή
  • χάος (kháos)in classical cosmogony
  • ταραχή (tarakhḗ)state of disorder
Arabic فَوْضَى
  • فَوْضَى (fawḍā)state of disorder
Bulgarian хаос, хаос
  • хаос (haos)in classical cosmogony
  • хаос (haos)state of disorder
  • безредие (bezredie)state of disorder
  • хаос (haos)mathematics
Catalan caos, caos
  • caosin classical cosmogony
  • caosstate of disorder
Chinese Mandarin 混沌, 混沌
  • 混沌 (hùndùn)in classical cosmogony
  • 混沌 (hùndùn)state of disorder
  • 混亂 /混乱 (hùnluàn)state of disorder
  • 渾沌 /浑沌 (húndùn)state of disorder
  • 混沌 (hùndùn)mathematics
Czech chaos
  • chaosstate of disorder
Danish kaos
  • kaosstate of disorder
Dutch chaos, baaierd
  • chaosin classical cosmogony
  • baaierdin classical cosmogony
  • chaosstate of disorder
  • wanordestate of disorder
Esperanto ĥaoso, ĥaoso
  • ĥaosoin classical cosmogony
  • ĥaosostate of disorder
  • kaosostate of disorder
Estonian kaos, tohuvabohu
  • kaosstate of disorder
  • tohuvabohustate of disorder
Finnish kaaos, kaaos
  • kaaosin classical cosmogony
  • kaaosstate of disorder
  • epäjärjestysstate of disorder
  • sekasortostate of disorder
  • kaaosmathematics
French chaos
  • chaosstate of disorder
German Chaos, Unordnung
  • Chaosstate of disorder
  • Unordnungstate of disorder
  • Durcheinanderstate of disorder
  • Wirrwarrstate of disorder
  • Wirrsalstate of disorder
Greek χάος, χάος
  • χάος (cháos)in classical cosmogony
  • χάος (cháos)state of disorder
  • χάος (cháos)mathematics
Hebrew תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ, תוהו ובוהו
  • תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ (tóhu vavóhu)in classical cosmogony
  • תוהו ובוהו (tóhu vavóhu)state of disorder
  • כאוס (kéos)state of disorder
Hindi अव्यवस्था
  • अव्यवस्था (avyavasthā)state of disorder
Hungarian káosz
  • káoszstate of disorder
Icelandic ringulreið
  • ringulreiðstate of disorder
Indonesian kekacauan, prahara
  • kekacauanstate of disorder
  • praharastate of disorder
Irish anord
  • anordstate of disorder
Italian caos
  • caosstate of disorder
Japanese 混沌, 混乱
  • 混沌 (konton)in classical cosmogony
  • 混乱 (konran)state of disorder
  • 無秩序 (muchitsujo)state of disorder
  • 混沌 (konton)state of disorder
  • カオス (kaosu)state of disorder
  • カオス (kaosu)mathematics
Korean 혼돈, 카오스
  • 혼돈 (hondon)state of disorder
  • 카오스 (kaoseu)state of disorder
  • 카오스 (kaoseu)mathematics
Latvian haoss
  • haossstate of disorder
Lithuanian chaosas
  • chaosasstate of disorder
Malay huru hara
  • huru harastate of disorder
Māori kaumingomingo, aneatanga
  • kaumingomingostate of disorder
  • aneatangastate of disorder
Norwegian kaos
  • kaosstate of disorder
Persian آشوب
  • آشوب (âšub)state of disorder
Polish chaos, chaos
  • chaosin classical cosmogony
  • chaosstate of disorder
  • chaosmathematics
Portuguese caos, caos
  • caosin classical cosmogony
  • caosstate of disorder
Romanian haos, haos
  • haosin classical cosmogony
  • haosstate of disorder
  • harababurăstate of disorder
  • haosmathematics
Russian ха́ос, хао́с
  • ха́ос (xáos)in classical cosmogony
  • хао́с (xaós)in classical cosmogony
  • ха́ос (xáos)state of disorder
  • хао́с (xaós)state of disorder
  • беспоря́док (besporjádok)state of disorder
  • ха́ос (xáos)mathematics
  • хао́с (xaós)mathematics
  • ха́ос (xáos)Warhamer antagonist
  • хао́с (xaós)Warhamer antagonist
Spanish caos, caos
  • caosin classical cosmogony
  • caosstate of disorder
Swahili kesheshe
  • kesheshestate of disorder
Swedish kaos, kaos
  • kaosstate of disorder
  • kaosmathematics
Tagalog dimayaw, dimayaw
  • dimayawin classical cosmogony
  • dimayawstate of disorder
  • kaguluhanstate of disorder
  • dimayawmathematics
Thai ความยุ่งเหยิง, ความโกลาหล
  • ความยุ่งเหยิง (kwaam-yûng-yə̌əng)state of disorder
  • ความโกลาหล (kwaam-goo-laa-hǒn)state of disorder
  • ความสับสนวุ่นวายstate of disorder
  • ความอลวนmathematics
  • ความโกลาหล (kwaam-goo-laa-hǒn)mathematics
  • ความไร้ระเบียบmathematics
Turkish teşevvüş
  • teşevvüşstate of disorder
Ukrainian хао́с
  • хао́с (xaós)state of disorder
Vietnamese hỗn loạn
  • hỗn loạnstate of disorder

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with chaos

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

chaos. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chaos

MLA

“chaos.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chaos. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chaos,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chaos.

Source: chaos on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.