lawlessness
Absence of order
Lawlessness is the state of being without law or order—either the absence of laws altogether or widespread disregard for them.
It describes chaos where rules don't apply or aren't enforced: The region descended into lawlessness after the government collapsed.
The word can characterize places, periods, or behavior: frontier lawlessness, the lawlessness of the mob.
State of utter confusion
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
tumult · disorder · anarchy · upheaval · commotion · uproar · rampage · frenzy
Unlawful taking of property
- robberyTheft through intimidation
- burglaryIllegal entry to commit crime
- assaultViolent offensive act
- vandalismWillful property damage
arson · smuggling · extortion · racketeering · looting · banditry · piracy · trafficking
Violent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
sedition · subversion · revolution · coup · rebellion · resistance · dissidence · antiestablishment
Wild after domestication
- savageFierce and untamed
- unbridledWithout any restraint
- uncontrolledLacking any regulation
- unrulyDifficult to control
unrestrained · wild · unfettered · unregulated · unmanaged · unchecked · ungovernable · unpoliced
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- gunslingerExpert pistol fighter
- banditArmed roadside thief
- vigilanteExtralegal justice-seeker
- Wild WestAmerica's lawless frontier era
badlands · lawman · rustling · desperado · posse · saloon · bounty hunter · no-man's-land
pandemonium
State of utter confusion
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
- bedlamState of wild disorder
havoc · tumult · disorder · anarchy · upheaval · commotion · uproar · rampage · frenzy · riot
theft
Unlawful taking of property
vandalism · arson · smuggling · extortion · racketeering · looting · banditry · piracy · trafficking · poaching
insurrection
Violent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- mutinyRevolt against authority
insurgency · sedition · subversion · revolution · coup · rebellion · resistance · dissidence · antiestablishment · radicalism
feral
Wild after domestication
- savageFierce and untamed
- unbridledWithout any restraint
- uncontrolledLacking any regulation
unruly · unrestrained · wild · unfettered · unregulated · unmanaged · unchecked · ungovernable · unpoliced · rampant
wilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- gunslingerExpert pistol fighter
- banditArmed roadside thief
- vigilanteExtralegal justice-seeker
Wild West · badlands · lawman · rustling · desperado · posse · saloon · bounty hunter · no-man's-land · hinterland
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
- defiancedefiance, disobedience, insubordination, noncompliance, rebellion
- Post-Apocalypsewasteland, fallout, survivors, apocalypse, collapse
- civil unrestriot, riots, rioting, mob, uprising
- deviancedeviance, perversion, perversity, aberration, abnormality
- riotsuprising, unrest, mob, mobs, looting
lawlessnessorder
Methodical arrangement or request
law and order · rule of law · law · government · civil order
lawlessnessjustice
Fair treatment under law
righteousness · honesty · integrity · uprightness · rectitude
lawlessnessobedience
Compliance with authority
compliance · orderliness · conformity · discipline · legality
illegal, outlaw, lawful, lawless, unlawful, outlawed, lawmaker, outlaws, illegally