anarchy

noun

ˈa-nər-kē How to pronounce anarchy (audio)
Definition of anarchynext
as in chaos
a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority the anarchy that the country experienced after the dictator drained the treasury and fled the country

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of anarchy Their descent into anarchy was a slow burn, rather than instant ignition. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse five years ago, Haiti has existed in a state of anarchy, with organized crime controlling swaths of the country and subjecting millions of Haitians to deprivation and extreme violence. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 Few if any of the committees called for democracy, which probably would have smacked of anarchy to them. — T. H. Breen, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 Just anarchy, all in the name of 8U baseball. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for anarchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anarchy
  1. chaos
  2. unrest
  3. lawlessness
  4. turmoil
  5. misrule
Noun
  • Chaos fatigue isn’t the only side dish being served with the recent rash of court orders; chaos consequences appear to be on a platter as well.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The court, in the unanimous decision, placed the blame for the chaos directly at Hoskins.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of chaos
Noun
  • Tibet is a Chinese autonomous region that has gone through cycles of protest, unrest and government repression since China asserted control over the region in 1951.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • What followed was at least one night of unrest in Minneapolis.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • Still, Nixon created a blueprint for presidential lawlessness that Trump imitated and greatly expanded.
    — Elizabeth Holtzman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • At the same time, there were many voices worried about the potential lawlessness.
    — Robbie Morrison, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of lawlessness
Noun
  • Syria’s leaders are now positioning the country to benefit from a resurgence of regional turmoil.
    — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Geopolitical turmoil, including war in the Middle East and US ​import tariffs, has brought urgency to an issue Icelanders have debated on and off for decades.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of turmoil
Noun
  • As the landscape was brought back under control, its wilder elements came to be regarded with ever more suspicion and distrust, as a symbol of earlier misrule.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
  • Expectations are now rising over the role the United States will play in helping Venezuela, which had already been laid low by decades of misrule.
    — Emma Bubola Jenna Russell Raj Saha Adam Liptak, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of misrule

Browse Nearby Words

anarchs
anarchy
anathema
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Cite this Entry

“Anarchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anarchy. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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