anarchy

noun

an·ar·chy ˈa-nər-kē How to pronounce anarchy (audio)

-ˌnär-

: absence of government

: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority

the city's descent into anarchy

: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government

: absence or denial of any authority or established order

anarchy prevailed in the war zone

: absence of order : disorder

not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature

Israel Shenker

: anarchism

Did you know?

The Multiple Meanings of Anarchy

Anarchy exemplifies how words may have similar yet distinctive meanings. The earliest recorded use of the word, from the early 16th century, meant simply “absence of government,” albeit with the implication of civil disorder. A similar but ameliorated meaning began to be employed in the 19th century in reference to a Utopian society that had no government. The establishment of these two senses of anarchy did not stop the word from being applied outside the realm of government with the broadened meaning ”a state of confusion or disorder.” The existence of definitions that are in semantic conflict does not imply that one (or more) of them is wrong; it simply shows that multisense words like anarchy mean different things in different contexts.Another example of a sense-shifting word relating to government is aristocracy. When first used in English, this word carried the sole meaning “government by the best individuals.” It may still be used in such a fashion, but more commonly, it is encountered in the extended sense “the aggregate of those believed to be superior.”

Example Sentences

Its immigration policies in the last five years have become the envy of those in the West who see in all but the most restrictive laws the specter of terrorism and social anarchy.

Caroline Moorehead, New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2006 Fueled by booze and the euphoria of having seen their school win a share of its first … title in 36 years, a mob of Beavers fans hurled itself at the cops, breaching both chains and creating anarchy.

Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated, 27 Nov. 2000 But by the early 1800s, the mines began to play out, and the colonists challenged the Spanish throne for independence. The Silver Cities survived not only the bloody revolution of 1821 but also the ensuing century of anarchy and bloodshed.

David Baird, Continental, February 1999 The anarchy of the Internet may be daunting for the neophyte, but it differs little from the bibliographical chaos that is the result of five and a half centuries of the printing press.

Fred Lerner, The Story of Libraries, (1945) 1998 Anarchy reigned in the empire's remote provinces. When the teacher was absent, there was anarchy in the classroom. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The clarity of his moral politics may be appealing, but the radical autonomy of his approach amounts to anarchy.

Sam Negus, National Review, 3 July 2022 Boston native Charlotte Sands performed metallic emo-pop under a logo that replaced the A’s in her name with an anarchy symbol and a broken heart, which summed her up well.

Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2022 The rage at the failure and corruption of a ruling elite has been matched by generosity and ingenuity to prevent complete collapse and anarchy.

BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 Some call them spa plates or have an eek, a getcheroni, a goblin meal, rags and bottles, engage in an anarchy kitchen or a blackout bingo, go feral, go Darwin, oogle moogle or serve a jungle dinner.

G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 Fortunately for these depositors, the law doesn't think in terms of either financial anarchy or legal mists, but instead operates to sort things out into discrete pigeonholes.

Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 27 June 2022 The recall of left-wing prosecutor Chesa Boudin in San Francisco and the rise of mayoral candidate Rick Caruso in Los Angeles are apt punishment for progressive policies that have produced rising urban anarchy.

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 June 2022 Symptoms included spitting in the face of authority, sticking pins through the septums of their noses, and embracing anarchy.

Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 1 June 2022 Maybe only once or twice was there anything in the set that felt like a few bars of jazz fusion, but White’s lead guitar playing has that mixture of precision and the suggestion that anarchy is just a step away that much of the best jazz has.

Chris Willman, Variety, 1 June 2022 See More

单词	anarchy
释义	anarchy noun an·ar·chy ˈa-nər-kē -ˌnär- 1 a : absence of government b : a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority the city's descent into anarchy c : a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government 2 a : absence or denial of any authority or established order anarchy prevailed in the war zone b : absence of order : disorder not manicured plots but a wild anarchy of nature Israel Shenker 3 : anarchism Did you know? The Multiple Meanings of Anarchy Anarchy exemplifies how words may have similar yet distinctive meanings. The earliest recorded use of the word, from the early 16th century, meant simply “absence of government,” albeit with the implication of civil disorder. A similar but ameliorated meaning began to be employed in the 19th century in reference to a Utopian society that had no government. The establishment of these two senses of anarchy did not stop the word from being applied outside the realm of government with the broadened meaning ”a state of confusion or disorder.” The existence of definitions that are in semantic conflict does not imply that one (or more) of them is wrong; it simply shows that multisense words like anarchy mean different things in different contexts.Another example of a sense-shifting word relating to government is aristocracy. When first used in English, this word carried the sole meaning “government by the best individuals.” It may still be used in such a fashion, but more commonly, it is encountered in the extended sense “the aggregate of those believed to be superior.” Synonyms lawlessness misrule See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Its immigration policies in the last five years have become the envy of those in the West who see in all but the most restrictive laws the specter of terrorism and social anarchy. Caroline Moorehead, New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2006 Fueled by booze and the euphoria of having seen their school win a share of its first … title in 36 years, a mob of Beavers fans hurled itself at the cops, breaching both chains and creating anarchy. Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated, 27 Nov. 2000 But by the early 1800s, the mines began to play out, and the colonists challenged the Spanish throne for independence. The Silver Cities survived not only the bloody revolution of 1821 but also the ensuing century of anarchy and bloodshed. David Baird, Continental, February 1999 The anarchy of the Internet may be daunting for the neophyte, but it differs little from the bibliographical chaos that is the result of five and a half centuries of the printing press. Fred Lerner, The Story of Libraries, (1945) 1998 Anarchy reigned in the empire's remote provinces. When the teacher was absent, there was anarchy in the classroom. See More Recent Examples on the Web The clarity of his moral politics may be appealing, but the radical autonomy of his approach amounts to anarchy. Sam Negus, National Review, 3 July 2022 Boston native Charlotte Sands performed metallic emo-pop under a logo that replaced the A’s in her name with an anarchy symbol and a broken heart, which summed her up well. Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2022 The rage at the failure and corruption of a ruling elite has been matched by generosity and ingenuity to prevent complete collapse and anarchy. BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 Some call them spa plates or have an eek, a getcheroni, a goblin meal, rags and bottles, engage in an anarchy kitchen or a blackout bingo, go feral, go Darwin, oogle moogle or serve a jungle dinner. G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 Fortunately for these depositors, the law doesn't think in terms of either financial anarchy or legal mists, but instead operates to sort things out into discrete pigeonholes. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 27 June 2022 The recall of left-wing prosecutor Chesa Boudin in San Francisco and the rise of mayoral candidate Rick Caruso in Los Angeles are apt punishment for progressive policies that have produced rising urban anarchy. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 June 2022 Symptoms included spitting in the face of authority, sticking pins through the septums of their noses, and embracing anarchy. Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 1 June 2022 Maybe only once or twice was there anything in the set that felt like a few bars of jazz fusion, but White’s lead guitar playing has that mixture of precision and the suggestion that anarchy is just a step away that much of the best jazz has. Chris Willman, Variety, 1 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Medieval Latin anarchia, borrowed from Greek anarchía "lack of a leader, lawlessness," from ánarchos "without a head or chief, leaderless" (from an- an- + -archos, derivative of archós "leader, chief") + -ia -y entry 2 — more at -arch entry 1 First Known Use 1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a anarchy noun 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 Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance chaos unrest lawlessness misrule turmoil anarchism upheaval strife turbulence disruption havoc riot confusion disorder rebellion disorganization revolution disarray uprising criminality commotion mutiny disorderliness disturbance tumult outlawry misorder uproar Antonyms & Near Antonyms law legitimacy rule legality lawfulness peace harmony tranquility tranquillity orderliness peacefulness peaceableness calmness law-abidingness order quiet See More
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anarchy

noun

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun