frantic

adjective

ˈfran-tik How to pronounce frantic (audio)
Definition of franticnext
1
as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry the frantic parents were searching all over the fairgrounds for their lost child

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in furious
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity the holiday season seems to be moving along at a frantic pace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of frantic Dallas Caton’s bass-heavy production lays the foundation for the frantic and propulsive record. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026 Over the course of one frantic, late-July weekend, 98 teens representing all 50 states put their busy lives on hold to try to do something remarkable. — Cory Turner, NPR, 30 July 2026 There is no frantic downshift, no strained exhaust note, and little sensation of mechanical effort. — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 What began as a frantic request for outside help and garage-style innovation has evolved into a manufacturing juggernaut, large enough to support the resistance and to sell to other nations. — Thomas Nagorski, Time, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for frantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frantic
  1. agitated
  2. furious
  3. distraught
  4. mad
  5. worried
  6. fierce
  7. frightened
  8. intense
Adjective
  • Sometimes, Brun appeared agitated or sweaty at council meetings.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Clancy became agitated, but never fully woke up once given the Narcan, which is typically used to treat heroin or fentanyl overdoes, Constanzo noted.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of agitated
Adjective
  • Above a certain temperature, the system starts to work against itself; the furious beating of cilia uses up any oxygen the coral’s tissues can absorb, and then the polyps can suffocate in the less oxygenated water.
    — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
  • This Lusitania didn’t sink as a formal band played, but the ticking of each man’s pocket watch synchronized to form a furious percussion section, and all those wailing women’s voices layered into girl-group harmonies.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of furious
Adjective
  • But today’s Court often divides along stark ideological lines, and the liberals often sound truly distraught in their dissents.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • One distraught woman sat on the ground next to a large pool of blood as another woman embraced her.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of distraught
Adjective
  • There was also a stream of characters who visited the island, from a pop group to a movie producer, a mad scientist, and Russian cosmonauts.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There are a few pages spent on Deflategate (that made Brady mad), only a few paragraphs devoted to Aaron Hernandez, none on Spygate.
    — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mad
Adjective
  • Truth is, Westside Cowboy — all of whom are in their early to mid-twenties — are just as worried about it all as anyone else.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Buyers were interested but worried about the optics of a show revolving around two wealthy, gallivanting white guys.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • The scores carry over, promising a fierce battle for the national title, with Rivera aiming for multiple championships.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The diggers than turned to keeping themselves and two injured skiers alive amid the fierce blizzard.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of fierce
Adjective
  • Use of QACs soared during the Covid-19 pandemic as frightened masses sanitized themselves and nearly everything else in sight.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Families were frightened, communities were looking for guidance, and clinicians were desperate for answers.
    — Ronald Nahass, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • These could include intense earthquake swarms, rapid ground deformation, changing gas emissions, and unusual heat flow.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Footage aired by local media showed massive flames and fireballs erupting from the tank, with black and orange smoke rising in the sky as firefighters spray what appears to be foam or water in efforts to quench the intense fire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of intense

Browse Nearby Words

franks
frantic
frantically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frantic. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on frantic

Nglish: Translation of frantic for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All