FRANTIC Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

frantic

adjective

ˈfran-tik

Definition of frantic

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

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 His frantic paranoia makes the scene genuinely hard to read and sets the stage for his horrifying actions during the climax. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026 As the fiscal reality of these mandates settles in communities across the state, the scramble of local governments to avoid cutting both core and beloved school programs like Outdoor School will become even more frantic. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Aug. 2026 Charo urged the government to ensure that hospitals are well-equipped to handle complications during childbirth, and to not leave frantic families waiting for information. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Boyle succeeds in making a thrilling, propulsive movie using his signature kinetic filmmaking style of quick cuts, unconventional camera angles, and a frantic pace. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frantic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frantic

Adjective

Reddington looked visibly agitated while in the courtroom, both during sidebar — at which Clancy was present — and during Sullivan’s instructions.

— Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Officers described the videos recorded by that camera, writing that Westman seemed agitated after a visit with family and at times sobbed before driving by the church and school the night before the attack.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

The Lindsay Clancy trial has captivated the nation, spurring furious online debate on the state of maternal healthcare and whether she should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.

— Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Simply put, the SEC is furious that LSU has challenged the conference’s attempts to enforce its eligibility rules for athletes returning from professional sports.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of furious

Adjective

The Loyola Blakefield graduate and founder of First Team Staffing, an organization centered around staffing professional and temporary workers, was distraught over his sudden inability to consistently drive off the tee.

— Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of distraught

Adjective

Crowder would not have been that mad if the guy had just fessed up and said something normal in his own voice.

— Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
But, as mad as the idea may have seemed back then, the tradition is still going strong 40 years later with participants coming from around the world to cast their dignity aside — along with a warm robe — and take the plunge into the freezing water.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of mad

Adjective

When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Mattfeld is excellent in what could easily have been a thankless role, playing Ricky with the mien of someone who is always holding it together, years of disappointment and condescension and expectation keeping her eyes worried and jaw tight.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Casemiro and Messi, fierce rivals when Casemiro was at Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona, celebrated together, a rare sight for longtime La Liga fans.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
Pearce was celebrating five years of Opry membership and would return later to channel many aspects of Dolly, from her humor and fierce independence to her Appalachian roots.

— Chris Parton, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of fierce

Adjective

Motion Applied brings experience from motorsport, where power electronics face rapid load changes and intense operating conditions.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
As if this weren’t enough for one day, Venus will also make its debut in the secretive and smoldering sign of Scorpio, where the love planet trades light-hearted flirtation for something deeper and way more intense.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of intense

Browse Nearby Words

franks

frantic

frantically

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Frantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frantic. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of frantic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gist

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes