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
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In audio of the 911 call obtained by NBC News, Caleb Flynn could be heard frantically telling a dispatcher that someone broke into his home and shot his wife.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
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Players slide 40-pound stones toward a target while their teammates sweep frantically to control its speed and direction, and Gross does the same with a cast that gives it all.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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At a picnic fundraiser in Orlando, his wife Iryna grabs his arms and wildly twirls around his wheelchair, savoring life.—
Carol Guzy,
NPR,
22 Feb. 2026
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As scientists have come to realize, the samples aren’t wholly representative of the wildly diverse moon, Andrews-Hanna said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frenetically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frenetically. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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