as in panicky
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Dissimilar Words
as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Recent Examples of panicked
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
The censors must have been expecting a great cans-worthy post and panicked.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Financial markets also crashed, marking the quickest descent to bear-market territory in history as panicked investors rushed into cash, in turn sparking a severe credit crunch.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
As bullets tore through at least a dozen cars, including a state police cruiser, panicked motorists abandoned their vehicles or hid under them for cover, according to prosecutors and state police.
—Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Stewart commented how the news media has been overly panicked about the potential for an outbreak.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
There are moments when Lily feels lost and anxious, and another scene where a panicked sheep knocks over furniture, although that is played for laughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 May 2026
In Hallow Road, Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys star as a couple who get jolted awake by a panicked call from their daughter, who has just hit a pedestrian with her car late at night.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
So now – panicked fanciers in Belgium are turning to this soft-spoken veterinarian to help protect their pigeons.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Kolasinski has said Mendoza panicked and tried to flee when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents blocked his car and did not intend to run over anyone.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Belinda Daniels panicked in 2018 when the pediatrician said her 1-year-old son, Jovanni, had lead in his body.
—Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026
Dube isn’t as panicked about its impact on wages and employment as many other observers are.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Police said Roediger panicked, fled the scene and buried the gun in a neighbor’s planter box.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit said troopers violated Paez Terán's free speech rights and used excessive force against the activist, who then panicked and began firing shots.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit said troopers violated Paez Terán’s free speech rights and used excessive force against the activist, who then panicked and began firing shots.
—R.j. Rico, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
When a now infamous MIT report last year found a majority of AI pilots weren’t delivering meaningful returns, investors panicked, treating it as an indictment of AI technology.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Such a relatable perspective proves potent, as Paula’s deft (and not-so-deft) juggling of the actually serious and subjectively serious grows more and more panicked, her problems grow more and more dire, and her solutions grow further and further out of reach.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
The censors must have been expecting a great cans-worthy post and panicked.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Financial markets also crashed, marking the quickest descent to bear-market territory in history as panicked investors rushed into cash, in turn sparking a severe credit crunch.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
As bullets tore through at least a dozen cars, including a state police cruiser, panicked motorists abandoned their vehicles or hid under them for cover, according to prosecutors and state police.
—Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Stewart commented how the news media has been overly panicked about the potential for an outbreak.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
There are moments when Lily feels lost and anxious, and another scene where a panicked sheep knocks over furniture, although that is played for laughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 May 2026
In Hallow Road, Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys star as a couple who get jolted awake by a panicked call from their daughter, who has just hit a pedestrian with her car late at night.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
So now – panicked fanciers in Belgium are turning to this soft-spoken veterinarian to help protect their pigeons.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ruff and the Sabres certainly aren’t panicked after one bad game in this series.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Kolasinski has said Mendoza panicked and tried to flee when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents blocked his car and did not intend to run over anyone.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Belinda Daniels panicked in 2018 when the pediatrician said her 1-year-old son, Jovanni, had lead in his body.
—Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026
Dube isn’t as panicked about its impact on wages and employment as many other observers are.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Police said Roediger panicked, fled the scene and buried the gun in a neighbor’s planter box.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit said troopers violated Paez Terán's free speech rights and used excessive force against the activist, who then panicked and began firing shots.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit said troopers violated Paez Terán’s free speech rights and used excessive force against the activist, who then panicked and began firing shots.
—R.j. Rico, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
When a now infamous MIT report last year found a majority of AI pilots weren’t delivering meaningful returns, investors panicked, treating it as an indictment of AI technology.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Adjective
-
The redemption requests at Blue Owl included some large institutions and wasn’t just limited to panicky retail investors, this person said.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Most descriptions conclude that Obama used this quirky exchange to overrule his panicky advisors and run full steam ahead on health reform.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Lord in your convent frightened me, Jesus with his bloody palms and gaping mouth, eyes rolled back in terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
Lee Cronin was both flattered and frightened when Jason Blum suggested titling his The Mummy reimagining as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Reformers were worried that putting more money into the hands of local school districts, without oversight to ensure that it was being spent effectively, would lead to its diversion into administration and more generous union contracts rather than hands-on instruction for kids who needed it most.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
-
Yu said that, as China has strengthened its social safety net, people are less worried about having to rely on others.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
And then other people had been waiting a really long time and were scared of their rights being taken away or scared that their families wouldn't approve.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
Outside Idlib, most Syrians have never seen or met a Uyghur fighter before, and the conservative Sunni Muslim beliefs held by many Uyghurs in Syria have scared Syria's minority communities.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
If the Cavaliers pull the Game 7 upset, Game 1 will play out at Madison Square Garden.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Away to a Newcastle team that has won just one of their last six league matches and has little to play for at this stage of a disappointing season, there could be an opportunity for West Ham to cause an upset.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
-
Vilnius residents sought shelter Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.—
Liudas Dapkus,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Haymon was much less apprehensive of expressing her opinions, particularly her preference for Gascon’s policies.—
Rafael Perez,
Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
There are even Allure editors who remain apprehensive.—
Tori Crowther,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Victor turned to her, startled.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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