pandemonium
noun
Darcy FreyJoseph W. Benkert 
Did you know?
When John Milton needed a name for the gathering place of all demons for Paradise Lost, he turned to the classics as any sensible 17th-century writer would. Pandæmonium, as the capital of Hell is known in the epic poem, combines the Greek prefix pan-, meaning “all,” with the Late Latin daemonium, meaning “evil spirit.” (Daemonium itself traces back to the far more innocuous Greek word daímōn, meaning “spirit” or “divine power.”) Over time, Pandæmonium (or Pandemonium) came to designate all of hell and was used as well for earthbound dens of wickedness and sin. By the late-18th century, the word implied a place or state of confusion or uproar, and from there, it didn’t take long for pandemonium to become associated with states of utter disorder and wildness.
Did you know?
When John Milton needed a name for the gathering place of all demons for Paradise Lost, he turned to the classics as any sensible 17th-century writer would. Pandæmonium, as the capital of Hell is known in the epic poem, combines the Greek prefix pan-, meaning "all," with the Late Latin daemonium, meaning "evil spirit." (Daemonium itself traces back to the far more innocuous Greek word daimōn, meaning "spirit, deity.") Over time, Pandæmonium (or Pandemonium) came to designate all of hell and was used as well for earthbound dens of iniquity. By the late-18th century, the word implied a place or state of confusion or uproar, and from there, it didn't take long for pandemonium to become associated with states of utter disorder and wildness.
Did you know?
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, the fallen Satan has his heralds proclaim "A solemn Councel forthwith to be held / At Pandaemonium, the high Capital / Of Satan and his Peers". Milton got the name for his capital of hell, where Satan gathered together all his demons, by linking pan with the Latin word daemonium, "evil spirit". For later writers, pandemonium became a synonym for hell itself, since hell was then often seen as a place of constant noise and confusion, but also for any wicked and lawless place. Nowadays it's used to refer to the uproar itself rather than the place where it occurs.
Examples of pandemonium in a Sentence
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
The skycam came back on the broadcast to pick up MSG’s pandemonium, followed by closeups of John Calipari and Sandler—and then an instantly meme’d clip of Jerry Seinfeld’s shock followed by Swift and more celebrities.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
Fans took to the streets to celebrate, which quickly turned into pandemonium.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 11 June 2026
The Spurs had one more chance, but Stephon Castle fumbled the inbounds pass and pandemonium at Madison Square Garden followed.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pandemonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemonium. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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