as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in panicky
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Recent Examples of panicked
Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
But Kerkering picked up the ball and panicked.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
No need for a panicked search, though.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
The deputies’ response stood in stark contrast to the panicked phone calls from neighbors who reported hearing gunshots on their quiet street, the Internal Affairs investigative reports show.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs brought linebacker Nick Bolton up the middle frequently, right in Jackson’s face, prompting some panicked decisions.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
The depth at receiver and running back as well as the strength of the offensive line has kept him from making panicked plays.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Major American tech companies, law firms and research institutions sent panicked emails to their H-1B workers, warning them not to leave the country or to take the next flight back.
—Dian Zhang, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
But his symptoms eventually worsen, leading Tommy’s panicked wife to rush him to the hospital.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Pages hit a soft comebacker to Kerkering, but the reliever struggled to field the ball, and then panicked and threw it home.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering panicked.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
Where rookie pilots panicked in battle, Gabreski functioned like a robot, dispassionately following the instructions laid out in his military flight manuals.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
As guests panicked and scrambled for safety, 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare was fatally shot and two other people were wounded when the shooter opened fire at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement early Sunday morning.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Nine months ago, Cal fans were panicked over the apparent lack of a quarterback following Fernando Mendoza’s departure.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
The other pick happened when Beck panicked against pressure and tossed up a prayer over the middle.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Sumpter panicked when the woman was unresponsive and called the woman’s aunt, who came to the home, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Dramatic video and images from the moment the quake struck showed panicked residents on Mindanao island, rushing out of buildings, or trying to maintain their balance as the ground beneath them shook violently.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
But Kerkering picked up the ball and panicked.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
No need for a panicked search, though.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
The deputies’ response stood in stark contrast to the panicked phone calls from neighbors who reported hearing gunshots on their quiet street, the Internal Affairs investigative reports show.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs brought linebacker Nick Bolton up the middle frequently, right in Jackson’s face, prompting some panicked decisions.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
The depth at receiver and running back as well as the strength of the offensive line has kept him from making panicked plays.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Major American tech companies, law firms and research institutions sent panicked emails to their H-1B workers, warning them not to leave the country or to take the next flight back.
—Dian Zhang, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
But his symptoms eventually worsen, leading Tommy’s panicked wife to rush him to the hospital.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Spencer panicked and called her mom, who then alerted staff at The Waverly about Ray’s disappearance from his room, per Fox 13.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Pages hit a soft comebacker to Kerkering, but the reliever struggled to field the ball, and then panicked and threw it home.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering panicked.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
Where rookie pilots panicked in battle, Gabreski functioned like a robot, dispassionately following the instructions laid out in his military flight manuals.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
As guests panicked and scrambled for safety, 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare was fatally shot and two other people were wounded when the shooter opened fire at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement early Sunday morning.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Nine months ago, Cal fans were panicked over the apparent lack of a quarterback following Fernando Mendoza’s departure.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
The other pick happened when Beck panicked against pressure and tossed up a prayer over the middle.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Sumpter panicked when the woman was unresponsive and called the woman’s aunt, who came to the home, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Verb
-
Surveys have shown that lawsuit ads have frightened people away from taking prescribed medications for serious conditions ranging from diabetes to depression.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Like the Earth sign, the righteous dog detective Scooby doesn't appreciate confrontation and gets frightened in scary situations.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As top-tier sports continue to flee pay-TV like so many panicky horses hoofing their way out of a burning stable, the WNBA is nosing around for oats among the haybales as the sparks fly skyward.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
After Ava is revealed as the sixth juror, Rachel, Keanu and others give Morgan props for her social game and comp wins, though Ava notes Morgan can be panicky with her decision-making.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood; however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood, however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During a ten-minute break, Heidi was worried.—
Joe Garcia,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Midwest The Upper Midwest is the only area that has some potential for minor travel delays, but the Farmer’s Almanac isn’t too worried.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Mariners are terrified of the Carpenter versus Kirby matchup.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The weight of it terrified her; That Rock seemed to want to pull her somewhere deep inside the ground.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Gannon was upset after Demercado dropped the football before crossing the goal line on what should have been a 72-yard touchdown that would have put Arizona up 28-6 early in the fourth quarter.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Those numbers might flip if Mizzou springs the home upset.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
First baseman Michael Toglia covered his head, too, and was startled when the ball landed a few feet from him.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Democratic nominee for mayor also gave a speech at an African Methodist church, an effort to bridge the gap with apprehensive Black voters.—
Amie Parnes,
The Hill,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Legacy system complexities can be underestimated, users can feel apprehensive about new workflows or tools, and communication breakdowns can lead to insufficient stakeholder updates and collaboration.—
Devang Pandya,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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