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DictionarymayhemChaotic disorder
noun

mayhem

MAY-hem/ˈmeɪhem/

Wild or destructive disorder.

The broken shop window and overturned furniture show the aftermath of mayhem.

Aftermath of violent street disorder: overturned chairs, smashed plain shop window and scattered broken pots in a small public square, chaotic destruction without injured people, flames or writing.
Etymology
mayhemOld Frenchinjury, harm

From a word for bodily injury, mayhem became a legal term for maiming people so they could no longer fight effectively. Its meaning broadened to violent disorder and destructive chaos.

In context

National Geographic69:44
he sends his familiars to cause all sorts of havoc and destruction, mayhem. A ship sailing off the coast is sunk, and all the sailors on it have drowned.
Witches: Truth Behind the Trials MEGA Episode | National Geographic

More examples

  • The storm caused mayhem on the roads.
  • The prank unleashed mayhem.
  • They struggled to restore order after the mayhem.

Forms

mayhem

Similar words

chaos
Disorder without necessarily violence or destruction.
havoc
Emphasizes widespread damage and disruption.