bedlam

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈbɛdləm/ UK /ˈbɛdləm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a scene of uproar and confusion

When the fire alarm rang, the office descended into bedlam.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a scene of uproar and... uproar chaos pandemonium commotion turmoilmayhemconfusion

Opposites

calm order tranquillity serenity

Word family

Derived forms bedlamite

Related forms Bethlehem

Etymology

An alteration of Bethlehem, from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, a medieval asylum for the mentally ill; the name became a byword for madhouse and then for any scene of uproar.

Bēth-lehem Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# bedlam

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɛdləm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɛdləm/

## Meanings
1. a scene of uproar and confusion

## Examples
- When the fire alarm rang, the office descended into bedlam.

## Synonyms
- uproar
- chaos
- pandemonium
- commotion
- turmoil
- mayhem
- confusion

## Antonyms
- calm
- order
- tranquillity
- serenity

## Derived Forms
- bedlamite

## Related Forms
- Bethlehem

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: Bēth-lehem

## Etymology
An alteration of Bethlehem, from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, a medieval asylum for the mentally ill; the name became a byword for madhouse and then for any scene of uproar.

## AI Etymology
Bedlam is a noun meaning "a scene of uproar and confusion". Historically, it is an alteration of Bethlehem, from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, a medieval asylum for the mentally ill; the name became a byword for madhouse and then for any scene of uproar. The semantic history matters here: the earlier use is the starting point, and the modern sense, "a scene of uproar and confusion", is the later or specialized English value. The historical chain is anchored in Ancient Greek Bēth-lehem. Close English family members include bedlamite, and Bethlehem.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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