as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
we spent all morning frenetically searching the house for the lost keys
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Recent Examples of frenetically
Their conversation bounced around frenetically, as their conversations tended to do.
—
Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Countless moths beat frenetically around the trap’s white, diaphanous panels, which are swaying with ghostly ripples in a gentle breeze.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Singer Brendan Yates’ intensity — at one point leaping with abandon, at another frenetically thrusting — is what makes Turnstile cook.
—Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025
But then, given how frenetically thrashing the entire tariff and trade policy and strategy have been in practice, expecting a predictable rollout and impact was probably unrealistic on everyone’s part.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Countless moths beat frenetically around the trap’s white, diaphanous panels, which are swaying with ghostly ripples in a gentle breeze.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Singer Brendan Yates’ intensity — at one point leaping with abandon, at another frenetically thrusting — is what makes Turnstile cook.
—Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025
But then, given how frenetically thrashing the entire tariff and trade policy and strategy have been in practice, expecting a predictable rollout and impact was probably unrealistic on everyone’s part.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frenetically
Adverb
-
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
-
The robot appears in the film at the info booth at the galactic weigh station as Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi frantically try to catch up with Peach.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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And while the legal penalties for the two are wildly different, the results behind the wheel are often just as dangerous.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Nashville broke a three-way traffic jam on Saturday via a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks and the Kings prevailed in a wildly unpredictable, and at times unprofessional, match against Toronto, 7-6 in overtime.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frenetically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frenetically. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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