1
: emotionally out of control
especially
: feeling or showing fear or anxiety
was frantic while waiting for news
frantic cries for help
a frantic search for the lost child
2
: marked by fast and nervous, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity
making frantic party preparations
3
archaic
: mentally unsound
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 on the Web
For Yilmaz, the cycle of constant, often frantic, creation and consumption across the luxury sector (in the form of new collections, endless content and bigger sales) marks a shift away from historical practices of scarcity and craftmanship.
—
Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
On the one hand, there’s something frantic at best and craven at worst about the year end round-up, which always misses something.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
The rest of the episode (once again directed by Lorene Scafaria) unfolds at a frantic clip, especially as Maia bulldozes her way through an overcrowded hospital.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
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Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
On the one hand, there’s something frantic at best and craven at worst about the year end round-up, which always misses something.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
The rest of the episode (once again directed by Lorene Scafaria) unfolds at a frantic clip, especially as Maia bulldozes her way through an overcrowded hospital.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
Cite this Entry
“Frantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frantic. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
frantic
adjective
fran·tic
ˈfrant-ik 
1
: wildly excited
frantic cries for help
was frantic with fear
2
: marked by wild and hurried activity
a frantic search for the missing child
franticly
adverb
-i-klē
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