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

Two crew members have been recovered while another remains in Iran, with search-and-rescue teams frantically trying to find him. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026

State and local authorities are frantically searching for a suspect armed with a long gun who allegedly opened fire at family members and responding law enforcement in New Hampshire on Saturday, wounding a police officer and triggering a massive manhunt. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2026

Once Winslow passes away, Roger frantically looks around through dust and explosions, and spies the boy passed out with his drum. —Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026

In South Korea, where two of the biggest RAM manufacturers are based, Silicon Valley executives are reportedly booking hotels in the country’s tech districts, frantically hoping to secure inventory. —Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically
• semantically