pandemonium

IPA/ˌpændəˈməʊniəm/
KK[pˌændɪmˈoniəm]IPA/ˌpændəˈməʊniəm/

pandemonium — noun

1. a situation where a crowd becomes very noisy, confused, and hard to control beca

1.nounC1
Definition

a situation where a crowd becomes very noisy, confused, and hard to control because people are worked up, angry, or scared

Example

When the fire alarm rang, pandemonium broke out in the packed cinema lobby.

pattern: pandemonium broke out

Parents created pandemonium outside the school gates after the bus arrived late.

Common collocations
  • pandemonium broke out
  • cause pandemonium
  • scene of pandemonium
  • total pandemonium
  • pure pandemonium
Synonyms
  • chaos

    Broader and can describe quiet disorder as well as noisy public confusion

  • uproar

    Stresses loud shouting or angry reaction more strongly

  • mayhem

    Suggests violent or destructive disorder

  • turmoil

    Can be emotional or political and is not always noisy

Antonyms
  • order

    The normal opposite when a crowd is controlled and organized

  • calm

    The opposite when the atmosphere is quiet and settled

Grammar Patterns

pandemonium + broke out

cause pandemonium

scene of pandemonium

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and most often used for sudden public disorder. It commonly appears with verbs such as break out, erupt, or ensue, and it emphasizes loud human reaction more than quiet confusion does.

Common Mistakes

Several pandemoniums started in the hall at once.
Several scenes of pandemonium started in the hall at once.
The noun is usually uncountable.
I felt pandemonium while doing the maths homework alone.
I felt confused while doing the maths homework alone.
Pandemonium usually describes noisy disorder involving several people.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe disorder, but they point to different kinds of disorder. Pandemonium usually describes a sudden scene where many people react loudly and the situation becomes hard to control. Chaos is broader and can describe any badly disorganized state, even when nobody is shouting. Uproar stresses loud protest, angry voices, or public outcry. Mayhem suggests destructive or violent confusion. Turmoil often refers to emotional, political, or social disturbance and does not always involve noise. If fans scream and push after a disputed goal, pandemonium or uproar fits; if a filing system is a mess, chaos fits better.

pandemonium ↗chaos ↗uproar ↗mayhem ↗turmoil ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • scene of pandemonium
  • burst of pandemonium

Phrases

  • pandemonium broke out
  • cause pandemonium
  • descend into pandemonium

Prepositions

  • into pandemonium

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Coined in 17th-century English by John Milton as the name of the capital of Hell in Paradise Lost, from Greek pan meaning 'all' and daimonion meaning 'demon' or 'evil spirit'. It later developed the modern meaning of a place or situation of wild noisy disorder.