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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of panicked
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
The visual contrast between Patricia’s panicked, mad dashing and the Boogeyman’s extreeeemely slow pace is consistently hilarious.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 3 June 2026
The panicked teen heads home and begs stepdad Gary (Paul Adelstein) for one last dose of the magic tincture he's supposed to be weening off of.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
The story popped online, where some panicked and others joked.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 30 May 2026
Authorities said school administrators would face disciplinary action for safety violations after an exit door was found to be locked during the panicked rush to escape the building.
—Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
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
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
Stewart commented how the news media has been overly panicked about the potential for an outbreak.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Parents were rightly panicked, and fierce pressure was levied on the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
The mass evacuation in Garden Grove and nearby cities Friday left some residents panicked and confused.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 22 May 2026
Historically, adults panicked about technology kids loved.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 May 2026
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
Adjective
That combination of a panicked young voice and an older parent who loves them is the most reliably devastating pairing a scammer can manufacture.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
The visual contrast between Patricia’s panicked, mad dashing and the Boogeyman’s extreeeemely slow pace is consistently hilarious.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 3 June 2026
The panicked teen heads home and begs stepdad Gary (Paul Adelstein) for one last dose of the magic tincture he's supposed to be weening off of.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
The story popped online, where some panicked and others joked.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 30 May 2026
Authorities said school administrators would face disciplinary action for safety violations after an exit door was found to be locked during the panicked rush to escape the building.
—Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
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
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
Stewart commented how the news media has been overly panicked about the potential for an outbreak.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
Verb
The rule had Woods — and Knicks fans — panicked since her good luck charm wouldn't be on her arm for the big night.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Parents were rightly panicked, and fierce pressure was levied on the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
The mass evacuation in Garden Grove and nearby cities Friday left some residents panicked and confused.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 22 May 2026
Historically, adults panicked about technology kids loved.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
The victim accelerated to escape, but the suspect continued to follow her, which frightened her.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
However, the World Cup seems to have scared many of those other events away.—
Dylan Lysen,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
-
The rush of comments and backlash on it really scared the production.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their 1-0 win over England on June 29, 1950, in Brazil is considered the biggest upset in World Cup history.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Golden State won in overtime, and Cleveland’s upset chances fizzled almost immediately.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The comedian was terrified after being fired from NewsRadio.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
-
And there are a lot of things to be very rightly and understandably terrified of right now, and uncertainty about what's to come.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even those who are apprehensive about sardines should give this salad a try.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 June 2026
-
Haymon was much less apprehensive of expressing her opinions, particularly her preference for Gascon’s policies.—
Rafael Perez,
Daily News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Her voice startled me, both rough and smooth—like a bottle of whiskey set in front of a princess.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
The blast in Indonesia's restive eastern Papua region startled locals with a thunderous boom on Sunday afternoon, emitting a ball of flames followed by a thick smoke column, according to footage broadcast on Kompas TV.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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