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bedlam definition

bed·lam (bed′ləm)

noun

  1. an old insane asylum (in full, St. Mary of Bethlehem), later a hospital for the mentally ill, in London
  2. Archaic any insane asylum
  3. any place or condition of noise and confusion

Etymology: ME Bedlam, Bethlem, var. of Bethlehem

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bedlam Synonyms

bedlam

n.

  1. Uproar

    confusion, pandemonium, clamor, chaos; see confusion 2, noise 2.

  2. A lunatic asylum

    madhouse, insane asylum, sanitarium; see hospital.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bedlam Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • cause: It was the Korean war where alleged American use of germ weapons caused international bedlam.

Adjective modifier

  • total: It would be total bedlam, and so dangerous, if everyone tried to drive into the school!

Modifies a noun

  • cube: The puzzle boxes are easy, compared to the bedlam retro cube which is still puzzling my nieces!
bedlam usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"bedlam." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bedlam>

APA Style

bedlam. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bedlam

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