as in panicky
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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
Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
What went right and what went wrong during the panicked scramble for solutions?
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
Which is exactly why Rodriguez isn’t as panicked as everyone else.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Victim Placido Dandrea’s wife was on the phone with their daughter early Tuesday evening when the chaos unfolded — with the panicked daughter dashing out from their home only to find her dad mortally injured — a neighbor said.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Her passion is apparent through several tiny pirate ships around the room, the massive oil painting above the hearth, and Brenda’s first appearance being a panicked phone call about the annual Lake Charles Pirate Festival.
—Charles Lewis Iii, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
But manager Craig Counsell was far from panicked when talking to reporters early last week.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Patrons — many just as panicked and some in a drunken stupor — ran by her.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
A week earlier, Sporing panicked after allowing an opening goal in San Jose, then fell behind 2-0 by halftime.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Phil Schiliro panicked.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
The fan base panicked last season when the Dodgers lost 13 of 18 in July and then seven of eight in late August and early September, when their relievers kept blowing leads and blowing games.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Other front offices might have panicked if the first two seasons with an all-universe game-changer ended with 60 and 48 losses.
—Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Mar. 2026
The attorney said Sullivan did not intend to kill Kloppenburg, but panicked after her death and decided to bury her.
—Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Garbacz never panicked during adversity, either.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
The dollar surged as the war in the Middle East panicked investors and stoked US inflation fears.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
Having underprepared for an audience with Pope John Paul II, a panicked Minnelli offered to sing.
—Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
What went right and what went wrong during the panicked scramble for solutions?
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
Which is exactly why Rodriguez isn’t as panicked as everyone else.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Victim Placido Dandrea’s wife was on the phone with their daughter early Tuesday evening when the chaos unfolded — with the panicked daughter dashing out from their home only to find her dad mortally injured — a neighbor said.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Her passion is apparent through several tiny pirate ships around the room, the massive oil painting above the hearth, and Brenda’s first appearance being a panicked phone call about the annual Lake Charles Pirate Festival.
—Charles Lewis Iii, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
But manager Craig Counsell was far from panicked when talking to reporters early last week.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Patrons — many just as panicked and some in a drunken stupor — ran by her.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
A week earlier, Sporing panicked after allowing an opening goal in San Jose, then fell behind 2-0 by halftime.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Phil Schiliro panicked.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
The fan base panicked last season when the Dodgers lost 13 of 18 in July and then seven of eight in late August and early September, when their relievers kept blowing leads and blowing games.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Other front offices might have panicked if the first two seasons with an all-universe game-changer ended with 60 and 48 losses.
—Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Mar. 2026
The attorney said Sullivan did not intend to kill Kloppenburg, but panicked after her death and decided to bury her.
—Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Garbacz never panicked during adversity, either.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
The dollar surged as the war in the Middle East panicked investors and stoked US inflation fears.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Adjective
-
Diving supplies, stratospheric prices, and rules and regs for who could buy how much gas and when sent Americans into panicky buying habits.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Avoid jerky or panicky movements, and don’t wave for help — movement may attract the drone.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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
-
Her advice to anyone who is worried about giant hogweed is to take steps to identify it.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
So, should human artists be worried?—
Stephy Chung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The recent immigration crackdowns have scared her.—
Mary Schmich,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
That process has effectively scared many people away from filling out paperwork to recertify with Medi-Cal due to fears of being outed by the federal government, which is cracking down on undocumented immigrants by apprehending and deporting them.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But if the jumpers go cold, the Tide will be vulnerable to a first-round upset.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
After trailing for most of the game, Minnesota used a frantic 14-0 run to start the final frame to finally wake up a home crowd that had been nervously starring down a major upset in their own backyard.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Since his detainment, Maria said that she's been terrified of leaving the home.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Patrick could move there tomorrow, but Russell has to be terrified of every sound.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The license is expected to give a massive boost to Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy and help encourage companies that have been apprehensive to invest.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Despite their obvious differences in setting and premise, each one conveys the difficulty of imagining a future amid an apprehensive present.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The missiles startled an Israeli public that has endured comparatively few casualties in recent weeks thanks to the country’s formidable air defenses, frequently tested across many years by rockets from militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
23 Mar. 2026
-
When startled, silver carp can leap several feet out of the water and injure boaters.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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