What does "shambles" mean?
What it means: A state of total disorder, chaos, or disorganisation - a complete mess."The whole event was a shambles.""Their planning was an absolute shambles.""The country's transport system is in shambles." (American: "in a shambles")"That meeting was a complete shambles."Register: Informal to...
What it means
A state of total disorder, chaos, or disorganisation - a complete mess.
"The whole event was a shambles."
"Their planning was an absolute shambles."
"The country's transport system is in shambles." (American: "in a shambles")
"That meeting was a complete shambles."
Register
Informal to semi-formal. Frequently used in British journalism and political commentary - it's a favourite word for criticising government policy or institutional failure.
Grammar note
Usually used as a singular noun with a:
"It was a shambles." β
"It was shambles." - British speakers often drop the article too
Historical origin
Originally meant a meat market or slaughterhouse. The image of blood and disorder transferred to any chaotic situation.
A native would say
- "A disaster" - direct
- "A mess" - casual
- "A fiasco" - more formal, similar weight
- "A car crash" - British informal: "The interview was a car crash."
- "An omnishambles" - political slang, coined by The Thick of It, meaning multiple simultaneous failures
What does "shambles" mean?
A state of total disorder, chaos, or disorganisation - a complete mess.
"The whole event was a shambles."
"Their planning was an absolute shambles."
"The country's transport system is in shambles." (American: "in a shambles")
"That meeting was a complete shambles."
Is "shambles" formal or informal?
Informal to semi-formal. Frequently used in British journalism and political commentary - it's a favourite word for criticising government policy or institutional failure.
What's another way to say "shambles"?
- "A disaster" - direct
- "A mess" - casual
- "A fiasco" - more formal, similar weight
- "A car crash" - British informal: "The interview was a car crash."
- "An omnishambles" - political slang, coined by The Thick of It, meaning multiple simultaneous failures
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