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

Instead of frantically digging through a tote at security, everything stays organized, easy to grab, and surprisingly chic. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026

But what was meant to be a celebratory moment went terribly wrong just moments later when a fire was ignited, and the family frantically grabbed water bottles to put out the growing flames. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

But what was meant to be a celebratory moment went terribly wrong just moments later when a fire was ignited, and the family frantically grabbed water bottles to put out the growing flames. —Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 8 June 2026

For the sequence when Carol frantically drives away from the hospital, Adams designed a new system with an LED screen that went on front of the truck with a cap on top, so all the light when Carol is driving comes exclusively from the LED screen. —Matt Minton, Variety, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically