HECTIC Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

hectic

adjective

ˈhek-tik

Definition of hectic

as in excited

being in a state of increased activity or agitation exhausted from a hectic day at the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 hectic Samson and Sharma set a hectic pace as India raced to 82-0 in the power play. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 Though my hands-on time was brief and hectic, every finish felt lightweight, well-balanced, and comfortably familiar. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026 Pro athletes are also on the road a lot, left alone in empty hotel rooms with time on their hands, perhaps unable to form normal romantic relationships because of their hectic timetables. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 On the day of the transplant, amid hectic conversations with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, Rhian and Ray were told there was another baby in the hospital that needed heart valves. — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hectic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectic

Adjective

A student who is excited about an experiment is still learning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Based on a straw poll of curators, collectors, and rival dealers at a spree of events last week, this is the show everyone’s most excited to see in Chelsea this fall.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of excited

Adjective

Former President Barack Obama will deliver a speech Saturday at the Overland Park Convention Center but won’t campaign in Kansas’s heated political races.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
OpenAI finished the job less than a day later—timing that has led to a heated dispute between the latter two mathematicians and the company.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of heated

Adjective

Migratory birds in captivity develop Zugunruhe, an agitated fitfulness, at certain times of year.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).

— Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

As much as there’s little room for nuance in the interval of frenzied overreaction that is Week 1 of the NFL season, two seemingly contradictory statements can be true at the exact same time.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Five years ago, Buck and Aikman were two of the biggest moves during the 2022 offseason, the most frenzied in NFL broadcasting history.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of frenzied

Browse Nearby Words

hecks

hectic

hectically

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hectic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectic. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hectic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tactile

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes