frantically

adverb

fran·​ti·​cal·​ly ˈfran-ti-k(ə-)lē 

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

[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

• 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

Butters in particular kills it, going from surfer chick to worrying mom clutching a glass of crisp white wine, frantically trying to save her engagement while stuck inside the body of a teenager. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025

Ford’s wife, Mary, had already left early for her job as a nurse when Tommy started frantically trying to wake him up. —Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

But the person looking out should have immediately informed the operator about the girls and witnesses frantically pleading with the vessel to stop. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2025

Police are frantically searching for an Army veteran accused of killing at least four people Friday morning at a Montana bar. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically
• semantically