pandemonium

Pandemonium is a term used to describe wild uproar, chaos, or tumult. In English literature, it originated as the proper name of the capital of Hell in John Milton's epic Paradise Lost (1667). In the poem, it is the hall built by demons where all the demon princes gather to debate and plan, literally meaning “all demons” from the Greek pan- “all” and daimon “demon.”

Pandemonium is formed from pan- (all) + daimon (demon) with the -ium suffix indicating a place. Milton's usage popularized the word as a proper noun; since then it has entered general English as a common noun to denote uproar and chaos.

Today, pandemonium is used to describe scenes of loud confusion: a crowded event spiraling into chaos, a riot, or any situation characterized by disorder and noise. It is often employed hyperbolically in journalism, fiction, and everyday speech.

Related terms include bedlam, chaos, and melee. In cultural usage, pandemonium appears in titles and descriptions across literature, film, and media as a metaphor for an overwhelming or chaotic situation.