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
An ex-trader explained that if bettors exhibited potential signs of compulsive gambling, such as frenetically emptying and refilling their account balance, the trader would check if RG wanted to reach out to make sure the customer was OK.
—
Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 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
Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 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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At the bottom of the hill, Phillips' husband was frantically searching for someone who could help him.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a flight of stairs and through a narrow door.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Song Sung Blue is very much a two-hander, exploring the real-life romantic and professional pairing of Mike and Claire Sardina (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson), entertainers who teamed up to form the wildly popular Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning and Thunder.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
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Les Baux-de-Provence Built into a rocky outcropping that's part of the Alpilles mountain chain, Les Baux-de-Provence has a rugged and wildly impressive setting.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frenetically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frenetically. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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