Meaning & use
pandemonium
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
Wild and noisy disorder or confusion, often when a crowd becomes excited, angry, or frightened.
Grammar: Uncountable: say pandemonium broke out; 'a pandemonium' and 'pandemoniums' are wrong.
Patterns
- pandemonium broke out
- pandemonium erupted
- complete/absolute pandemonium
Pandemonium broke out when the band finally walked on stage.
There was complete pandemonium in the stadium after the winning goal.
When the fire alarm rang, pandemonium erupted in the crowded hall.
Common combinations
- pandemonium broke out
- Pandemonium broke out when the results were announced.
- pandemonium erupted
- Pandemonium erupted in the courtroom after the verdict was read.
- complete/absolute pandemonium
- There was absolute pandemonium at the airport during the strike.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chaos
- General disorder and confusion; pandemonium adds loud noise and wild excitement or panic.
- mayhem
- Suggests wild, uncontrolled activity, often violent or humorous; pandemonium stresses noise and confusion.
- uproar
- Loud noise and protest, especially from a crowd; pandemonium suggests more complete disorder.
Opposites
Word family
- pandemonic adjective
- Rare word meaning wild, noisy, and chaotic.
Commonly confused: pandemonium or panic?
pandemonium vs panic
Panic is the sudden feeling of fear itself; pandemonium is the noisy disorder that often follows it.
Practice
When the winning goal went in, complete ___ broke out in the stands.
Choose one answer.
Pandemonium means wild, noisy disorder, exactly what a crowd produces after a goal. A reverie is a quiet daydream, an oversight is a small mistake, and confidence is a feeling of self-belief.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pandemonium”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.