anarchy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A condition of society without effective government, authority, or control.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often follows into, state of, or threat of.

   Patterns

   • descend into anarchy
   • a state of anarchy
   • the threat of anarchy

   After the invasion, the country slid toward anarchy.

   Emergency crews tried to prevent panic from turning into anarchy.

   The novel imagines a future of complete anarchy.

2. 2noununcountableinformal

   Informal chaos or complete lack of organization, not necessarily political.

   Grammar: Uncountable; informal exaggeration for messy situations.

   Patterns

   • total anarchy
   • classroom anarchy
   • complete anarchy

   With the substitute teacher away, the classroom was total anarchy.

   Planning the picnic without a list would be complete anarchy.

Common combinations

descend into anarchy

The protest descended into anarchy when the barriers fell.

state of anarchy

Relief workers entered a state of anarchy after the communications failed.

total anarchy

The office was total anarchy during the server outage.

threat of anarchy

Officials warned that the threat of anarchy would delay elections.

Synonyms and how they differ

chaos

Emphasizes disorder and confusion; unlike anarchy, it need not imply absence of government.

lawlessness

Focuses on lack of law enforcement or respect for rules, often in a specific place.

disorder

A neutral word for lack of order that is weaker and broader than anarchy.

Opposites

Word family

anarchic adjective

Without control or in a wild, uncontrolled way.

anarchist noun

A person who rejects government or organized authority.

anarchism noun

A political theory opposing hierarchical government.

Commonly confused: anarchy or monarchy? anarchy or chaos?

Practice

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