noun
bedlam
BEHD-luhm
noun
1
A scene of wild, noisy chaos and confusion.
"The kitchen turned into bedlam the moment the fire alarm went off."
"There was bedlam in the stands after the last-minute goal."
How to Use Bedlam
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTotal chaos and uproar, like everyone shouting and rushing around at once.
Memory tip
Almost always used for a chaotic scene or event, not for a place called an asylum anymore — that older sense has faded from everyday use.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
sheer bedlam
bedlam broke out
utter bedlam
Word Forms
bedlams plural
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The kitchen turned into _____ the moment the fire alarm went off.
Etymology
From "Bedlam," a nickname for Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, once a notorious psychiatric hospital — the word came to mean any scene of madness and chaos.