panicky

adjective

Definition of panickynext
as in panicked

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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 panicky Republicans are already looking at a post-Trump GOP, and the most panicky among them are wondering if there’s some way to avoid it being led by Vance. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026 Events came to a head months later when a panicky party forced Starmer’s resignation and his replacement by Burnham as party leader and prime minister in July. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 The hardest part about it might be dealing with panicky Cubs fans in a pennant race. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 As if Wendy’s hands, heart and day planner weren’t full enough, a panicky Jack determines to win her back, much to her torment. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The vice president was panicky, the authors wrote. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 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 Most descriptions conclude that Obama used this quirky exchange to overrule his panicky advisors and run full steam ahead on health reform. — Literary Hub, 23 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicky
  1. panicked
  2. worried
  3. upset
  4. apprehensive
  5. nervous
  6. frightened
  7. anxious
  8. jittery
Adjective
  • Since a mass mobilization drive in 2022, which sparked a panicked exodus across its borders, Russia has relied mostly on large financial incentives to lure soldiers to fight.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Six weeks or so after the Kansas City Royals lost the 2014 World Series in seven games, video coordinator Mark Topping checked his bank balance and panicked.
    — Stephanie Apstein, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of panicked
Adjective
  • Maybe that sounds counterintuitive to folks worried about how the Bears are going to supply their roster with high-end talent in the next couple of years, and there will be a host of needs on defense alone.
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Delawalla adds that many voters may also be worried about public health, particularly given the ongoing measles crisis and the summer’s cyclosporiasis outbreak.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • There was no upset this time in the season opener for TCU men’s basketball as the Horned Frogs rolled to a 98-59 win over Lindenwood Monday night at Schollmaier Arena.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Hafley was naturally upset about Ollie Gordon’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned into a 3rd and 5 into a 3rd and 20 that the Dolphins didn’t convert during the Patriots’ 21-0 run.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of upset
Adjective
  • Theaters, not just distributors, are similarly feeling apprehensive.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Kids often don’t want to hear that, Kaliamurthy said, and families can be apprehensive about such an open commitment.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of apprehensive
Adjective
  • Meyers' thinking is that as the odds go up of a Democratic party win, investors are getting more nervous about parts of the artificial intelligence trade.
    — Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Later on, after the guests have left, this cheating convention makes Kaylee nervous.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Defense challenges claims of disruption Sabatini sought to undermine the university’s account by distinguishing between students feeling frightened and actual interruptions to academic activities.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Trust is how that knowledge reaches the next child, and the next frightened mother.
    — Michelle A. Williams, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Everyone’s inner monologue is narrated by no less than author Zadie Smith, whose voice-over’s cool assurance forms a productive contrast with the characters’ anxious scrambling.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Even so, a person calling about an arrest or a custody dispute is just as likely to be anxious, and a voice that sounds human but is not can feel like deception, whatever the law requires.
    — Hamid Kohan, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • In the short term, investors got jittery on Wednesday, sending AI data center stocks tumbling.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The bottom chart shows that, by sacrificing about $1,700 of upside for $5,000 in outperformance during a severe downside move, and given how jittery this trade has been lately, this is a way to stay in it with considerably less risk.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of jittery

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Cite this Entry

“Panicky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicky. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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