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
-
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
-
After Ava is revealed as the sixth juror, Rachel, Keanu and others give Morgan props for her social game and comp wins, though Ava notes Morgan can be panicky with her decision-making.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Hunters often lit blazing fires, which disoriented and frightened the elk, and as many animals as possible were killed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
And as adult dogs, their frequent escapes through or over the yard’s chain-link fence frightened people living nearby.—
Natasha Holt,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
New Delhi, which has become increasingly worried about the safety of its seafarers during the US-Israeli war with Iran, has now urged Washington to halt strikes on shipping vessels.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
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
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
-
Mamdani's win was seen as an upset to the establishment, since the 67-year-old Cuomo is the son of a three-time New York governor and held the position himself for a decade beginning in 2011.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Boise State fans could have been upset when they were upset at home by Fresno State as their season continued to slide away from them.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Barred by a Florida family court judge from almost all contact with her mother, and terrified of the father the judge sent her to live with, Mia Ward, 15, was in a hospital waiting room when a security guard approached.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2026
-
The comedian was terrified after being fired from NewsRadio.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Many Gen Zers are apprehensive about what career to choose.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But Nicole Rucker, professional baker extraordinaire, crafted such a wonderfully approachable cookbook that even the most apprehensive baker like myself would feel at ease amongst her recipes.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Zoo veterinarians and staff will closely monitor the cubs and observe their behaviors like making small climbs, scratching through substrate and calling to one another when startled.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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