panic-stricken

adjective

Definition of panic-strickennext
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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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 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 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
  1. frightened
  2. panicked
  3. terrified
  4. scared
  5. panicky
Adjective
  • Discovering that your identity has been stolen can leave you feeling angry, frightened and unsure where to begin.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In one video, a young orangutan can be seen crouching in the corner of a small, dark crate, its frightened eyes wide open.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Then came a panicked call from Miller, who spotted jackhammers across the street.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026
  • For a panicked moment, the two of them just looked at each other.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of panicked
Adjective
  • Even after the attacker was restrained, passengers remained terrified.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This kind of conversation always leaves me half-amused, half-terrified.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • The move comes after years of criticism from animal rights advocates who charge that the horses are overworked, get easily scared and live in inadequate stables with drivers flouting city regulations.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Older riders, who once sold important organs to buy in-line fours, are now too old and too scared to even care what 14,000rpm in top means on an in-line four.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Events came to a head months later when a panicky party forced Starmer’s resignation and his replacement by Burnham as party leader and prime minister in July.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The hardest part about it might be dealing with panicky Cubs fans in a pennant race.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of panicky

Browse Nearby Words

panics
panic-stricken
panjandrum
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Cite this Entry

“Panic-stricken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panic-stricken. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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