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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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
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
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Even young raccoons can bite or scratch when frightened, and wild animals can carry parasites and diseases, says Rakestraw.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
20 June 2026
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When customers are frustrated, frightened, confused or considering leaving, those become high-risk moments.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Adjective
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Concerns of a serial killer first emerged in late 2010 after the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, a 23-year-old woman who placed panicked 911 calls from the Oak Beach community before vanishing into the surrounding marsh.—
Michael Ruiz , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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Meanwhile, a Camp Mystic representative had reached Matthew Childress and his wife, Wendie, on their panicked drive from Houston.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Because the road into Hunt was unpassable, the Childresses were forced into a monstrous kind of purgatory among other terrified parents at Ingram Elementary School.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
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Her 9-year-old daughter was terrified.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Children are generally afraid of ghosts, so telling them to be scared of larger bodies is deeply problematic.—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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People seem to still go to the movies for the communal experience of being scared.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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The vice president was panicky, the authors wrote.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Panic-stricken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panic-stricken. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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