frantically

adverb

fran·​ti·​cal·​ly ˈfran-ti-k(ə-)lē 

: in a frantic manner : in a nervously hurried, desperate, or panic-stricken way

searching frantically for the key fob

[Carlton] Fisk stood several feet down the line, frantically urging the ball fair with his hands. It hit the yellow foul pole above the wall, a home run.

—Ron Fimrite

Wine companies, fearing that younger drinkers are slipping out of their grasp, have been frantically trying to create products that will be viewed as edgy, hip and fun.

—Mitch Frank

During the new moon, a hatch of baby sea turtles erupts from the sand, struggling frantically to get to the ocean.

—Bernice Notenboom

Synonyms of frantically

• wildly
• desperately
• wild
• uncontrollably
• frenziedly

Examples of frantically in a Sentence

the veterinarian ran frantically from room to room looking for the escaped hamster

Recent Examples on the Web

At the Ugandan airport, Ruprecht frantically rebooked his flights. —Pien Huang, NPR, 23 May 2026

Municipal, provincial and federal leaders frantically convened meetings and released statements. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2026

Blade grinders function more like blenders, frantically whirring in circles, mangling the beans, and tossing them all over the grinding chamber. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2026

Earlier in the morning, police said, the mother of one of the suspects frantically called authorities to say her son had left a suicide note and that guns were missing. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically