1
: emotionally out of control
2
: marked by fast and nervous, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity
made a frantic search for the lost child
frantic cries for help
3
archaic
: mentally unsound
Examples of frantic in a Sentence
The girl was frantic with fear.
They made a frantic search for the missing child.
They were making frantic preparations for the party.
a frantic attempt to finish on schedule
Recent Examples on the Web
And when Paul manages to elude his overseers and explore the surrounding area — spurring a frantic search, the menacing tenor of which raises Lise’s hackles — the movie effectively becomes a prison drama, with the trio’s eventual interviewee depicted as a shadowy warden who can decide their fate.
—
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
When Nemo strays away from his reef and gets lost in the big open ocean, his frantic father teams up with the ever-forgetful Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to find him.
—Meg Walters, EW.com, 19 June 2025
As the frantic search for the father accused of murdering his three daughters stretches into its third week, authorities have released a new flyer of the suspect believed to be hiding out in the Washington wilderness.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
Asad / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Roads and highways out of Tehran were jammed over the weekend and Monday as frantic people sought to escape the capital.
—Amin Khodadadi, NBC news, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
When Nemo strays away from his reef and gets lost in the big open ocean, his frantic father teams up with the ever-forgetful Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to find him.
—Meg Walters, EW.com, 19 June 2025
As the frantic search for the father accused of murdering his three daughters stretches into its third week, authorities have released a new flyer of the suspect believed to be hiding out in the Washington wilderness.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
Asad / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Roads and highways out of Tehran were jammed over the weekend and Monday as frantic people sought to escape the capital.
—Amin Khodadadi, NBC news, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
Cite this Entry
“Frantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frantic. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
frantic
adjective
fran·tic
ˈfrant-ik 
1
: wildly excited
frantic cries for help
was frantic with fear
2
: marked by wild and hurried activity
a frantic search for the missing child
franticly
adverb
-i-klē
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