frantic

adjective fran·tic \ ˈfran-tik \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of frantic

1 a archaic : mentally deranged

b : 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

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frantically

play \ˈfran-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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franticness

play \ˈfran-tik-nəs\ noun

See frantic defined for English-language learners

See frantic defined for kids

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 of frantic from the Web

His proclamation set off a frantic effort by officials to codify it into a workable policy, and then a subsequent panic while exemptions were worked out for some of America's closest allies.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "Presidential whiplash stokes immigration crisis to justify troop surge," 5 Apr. 2018
Roles for the young thespians were wild tour guides, frantic Hollywood studio personnel and agents, loony lawyers, little monsters, wanna-be-actors and gossip columnists.

— chris folks, Laurel Leader, "Drama club learns that the show must go ojn [West Laurel]," 5 Apr. 2018
Body-camera footage shows a frantic, tense scene: near-total darkness, a brief chase into a backyard, the overlapping din of officers’ barked instructions.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "A New Law to Reduce Deadly Police Shootings," 5 Apr. 2018
There’s comedy here, and, at times, pathos – but also clichés, especially the inevitable frantic, spontaneous, ill-fated coupling.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Small Mouth Sounds' at Philadelphia Theatre Company: Sensitive, artful drama of silence and need," 15 Mar. 2018
The frantic, furious final 100 yards would determine which kind.

— adam kilgore, Anchorage Daily News, "Kikkan Randall blazed a cross-country trail; Jessie Diggins followed it to history," 21 Feb. 2018
The opening of the second 45 was as frantic as the closing prequel, with both sides flashing over the crossbar in the first quarter of an hour, Real's via Isco and Celta's courtesy of Jonny Otto, amid a sea of noise from the Balaidos faithful.

— SI.com, "Celta Vigo 2-2 Real Madrid: Quick-Fire Gareth Bale Double Not Enough for Los Blancos to Avoid Draw," 7 Jan. 2018
The feeling was all too familiar: a frantic, ever-present fear that left me on the brink of tears, with rampant insomnia and a racing heart.

— anonymous, Marie Claire, "I Tried Microdosing LSD for an Entire Month and Here's What Happened," 4 May 2017
Exposed pipes, dozens of different kinds of light fixtures, a neon DINER sign over the frantic kitchen (despite no strong diner theme anywhere else): check, check, check.

— kate washington, sacbee, "Punch Bowl Social takes ‘eatertainment’ to a whole new level | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frantic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of frantic

Middle English frenetik, frantik — more at frenetic

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First Known Use: 14th century

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frantic Synonyms

FRANTIC Defined for English Language Learners

frantic

adjective

Definition of frantic for English Language Learners

: feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry
: having a lot of wild and hurried activity

FRANTIC Defined for Kids

frantic

adjective fran·tic \ ˈfran-tik \

Definition of frantic for Students

1 : feeling or showing fear and worry

a frantic search

2 : having wild and hurried activity

They made a frantic attempt to finish.

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frantically

\-ti-kə-lē\ adverb

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See words that rhyme with frantic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for frantic Spanish Central: Translation of frantic Nglish: Translation of frantic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of frantic for Arabic speakers

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Examples of frantic in a Sentence

Recent Examples of frantic from the Web

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frantic Synonyms

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FRANTIC Defined for English Language Learners

frantic

Definition of frantic for English Language Learners

FRANTIC Defined for Kids

frantic

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frantically

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