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
-
When the gates opened, people surged forward, not frantically, but with relief.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, the Slovenian James Harden is showing the exact same limitations and attitudes that saw Dallas frantically dump him.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
One of the newest bands on the Street Mob roster, the quartet has stood out for its smoother, more sentimental approach to música mexicana — and for the wildly likable onstage presence of singer and frontman Gustavo Raya-García.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The outgoing president of the Kennedy Center leaves the institution renamed, nearly closed, and wildly unpopular.—
Jonathan L. Fischer,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frenetically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frenetically. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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