PANIC-STRICKEN Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

panic-stricken

adjective

Definition of panic-stricken

as in frightened

too overcome with panic to think or act normally The panic-stricken horses crashed through the door of the burning barn.

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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 panic-stricken For the first time in his life, the great shark couldn’t swim freely and, panic-stricken, bolted clear of his world and there was only emptiness, and his tail and pectoral fins were helpless in the void. — Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025 That afternoon, another detainee called her with a message that left her panic-stricken: Her son, 25-year-old Yoiker David Sequera, had been taken away to a notorious offshore prison. — Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025 These are not the first crew members to be panic-stricken by a stray rat today. — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 May 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for panic-stricken

Adjective

Witnesses are often too frightened of the cartels to testify in court.

— Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
When Odysseus’ men arrive at Circe’s home, hungry, asking to be fed, Circe seems frightened — understandably so.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

Part of his charm here included playing the stalwart father figure to two terrified kids — someone a child could trust to stick around and keep watch all night when the dinosaurs came chomping.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 July 2026
On the 14th floor, three of them broke into Ojeda’s apartment, handcuffed him in front of his terrified wife and son, and dragged him out, according to court documents and security video.

— Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026

Definition of terrified

Adjective

Òdódó’s transformation from a naïve and scared young woman into a powerful and influential queen at the king’s court is both remarkable and realistic, and so is her complex relationship with her husband (and captor).

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Some nights, when he was stressed or scared, Jean would tell him stories.

— Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

The vice president was panicky, the authors wrote.

— Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
In the mid-2010s, when every other norm of civility was beginning to fall apart, Jeopardy strategy became a panicky knife fight for the Doubles, the most powerful clues on the board.

— Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026

Definition of panicky

Browse Nearby Words

panics

panic-stricken

panjandrum

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“Panic-stricken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panic-stricken. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of panic-stricken

adjective

Example Sentences

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