as in panicky
Related Words
Relevance
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
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 panicked
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The University of North Carolina Health Caldwell reports that this constant exposure can also worsen anxiety and depression, leaving people feeling panicked or worried.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Early one morning, a woman named Manuela received a panicked series of texts from her husband, who’d been picked up in Queens.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
In spring 2003, Bateman read the pilot for Arrested Development and panicked.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Many people come to the story—the missing woman, the panicked family, the ordeal so singular but relatable—expressing compassion.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Cherry and his group then bolted from the scene, fleeing north on State Street to Lake Street, and then east on Lake Street to Wabash Avenue, as dozens of panicked people began running for their lives, prosecutors said.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
The panicked gang leader later took to social media to appeal to cops from a new hiding place.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Jen Murphy, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
The horses all panicked about the explosions, and so the Shire horse’s anxiety reminded him of that moment.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Earlier this week, the release of industry-specific plug-ins for Anthropic’s new Claude Cowork tool triggered a broad selloff across enterprise software stocks, as investors panicked that AI tools like Claude would render traditional enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies obsolete.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
Peggy isn’t panicked by her son’s alpha-male predilections.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Blue Demons’ guard panicked, fumbling the ball, and Fudd read her perfectly.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
This sudden new reality is why the Bills panicked and just fired coach Sean McDermott despite his 106-58 record in Buffalo.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead of making the easy throw to first baseman Bryce Harper, Kerkering panicked and tried to throw to catcher JT Realmuto, sending the ball sailing over him and allowing the Dodgers to score a winning run and end the Phillies’ season.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The family panicked as a wildfire threatened their home.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
This was followed by roughly fifteen minutes of panicked tinkering as his handpicked team of elite coders tried to get their product back online.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The University of North Carolina Health Caldwell reports that this constant exposure can also worsen anxiety and depression, leaving people feeling panicked or worried.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026
Early one morning, a woman named Manuela received a panicked series of texts from her husband, who’d been picked up in Queens.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
In spring 2003, Bateman read the pilot for Arrested Development and panicked.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Many people come to the story—the missing woman, the panicked family, the ordeal so singular but relatable—expressing compassion.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Cherry and his group then bolted from the scene, fleeing north on State Street to Lake Street, and then east on Lake Street to Wabash Avenue, as dozens of panicked people began running for their lives, prosecutors said.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
The panicked gang leader later took to social media to appeal to cops from a new hiding place.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
The company ran two surf lessons on Tuesday, February 24, for guests in San Pancho, a town in Nayarit, and said the clients didn’t seem concerned or panicked in the slightest.
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
The horses all panicked about the explosions, and so the Shire horse’s anxiety reminded him of that moment.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Earlier this week, the release of industry-specific plug-ins for Anthropic’s new Claude Cowork tool triggered a broad selloff across enterprise software stocks, as investors panicked that AI tools like Claude would render traditional enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies obsolete.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
Peggy isn’t panicked by her son’s alpha-male predilections.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Blue Demons’ guard panicked, fumbling the ball, and Fudd read her perfectly.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
This sudden new reality is why the Bills panicked and just fired coach Sean McDermott despite his 106-58 record in Buffalo.
—Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead of making the easy throw to first baseman Bryce Harper, Kerkering panicked and tried to throw to catcher JT Realmuto, sending the ball sailing over him and allowing the Dodgers to score a winning run and end the Phillies’ season.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The family panicked as a wildfire threatened their home.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Adjective
-
Then her daughter’s voice grew panicky.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Cuomo and his panicky allies need the pollsters to be wrong again; maybe with a surge of older voters, maybe if Republican Curtis Sliwa’s supporters desert him.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That habit didn’t endear the Alspaws to anyone nearby, including one neighbor who threatened to shoot Brittany after the Alspaws frightened his horses.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Knicks have their backup center on a regimented resting plan, and because of that, people within the team don’t seem worried about the drop-off in Robinson’s defensive output thus far.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Sam the toucan has been living in Las Vegas since November, much to the concern of bird experts and enthusiasts who were worried about the exotic bird's health and his ability to survive long-term in a city with drastic weather changes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said during a press conference shortly after the incident that responding agencies apparently scared off the suspect before the accelerant was ignited.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The animal bit his head, neck and leg before his mother ran over and scared it off.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Pirates, making their best effort at an upset, went up seven with less than eight minutes to play before UConn’s captain made a pair of 3-point shots to evaporate the deficit.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Lots of people were upset that Fraschilla won’t be on the broadcast, but many KU supporters applauded the move.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
He’s terrified appropriately of the task at hand.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The violent spree terrified and shocked Sacramento at the time.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While the basics of gardening remain the same, proper watering, light, fertilizing, and pest control are key; some new vegetable gardeners may feel apprehensive about taking those first steps.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Others remain apprehensive about the ongoing therapies and medications that will continue to change their quality of life, coupled with the anxiety of the cancer returning.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jordan and Lindo appeared startled by the incident but continued with their presentation.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Amid a years-long decline in the bee population that has startled scientists, experts are now warning that a growing industry is hurting native habitats and potentially leading to further die-offs.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
