frantically

adverb

fran·​ti·​cal·​ly ˈfran-ti-k(ə-)lē 

: in a frantic manner : in a nervously hurried, desperate, or panic-stricken way

searching frantically for the key fob

[Carlton] Fisk stood several feet down the line, frantically urging the ball fair with his hands. It hit the yellow foul pole above the wall, a home run.

—Ron Fimrite

Wine companies, fearing that younger drinkers are slipping out of their grasp, have been frantically trying to create products that will be viewed as edgy, hip and fun.

—Mitch Frank

During the new moon, a hatch of baby sea turtles erupts from the sand, struggling frantically to get to the ocean.

—Bernice Notenboom

Synonyms of frantically

• wildly
• desperately
• wild
• uncontrollably
• frenziedly

Examples of frantically in a Sentence

the veterinarian ran frantically from room to room looking for the escaped hamster

Recent Examples on the Web

When House frantically dials up the device, the man’s head explodes in a mess of gooey, gory innards. —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025

In the video, a man believed to be the owner of the car was seen frantically running up and yelling at the driver to stop because his 4-year-old daughter was inside, according to the arrest report from the Sunrise Police Department. —Bri Buckley, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

Republicans are frantically searching for more ways to keep the House next Congress after Indiana legislators decided not to redraw their state’s congressional districts. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Chris Paul, shouting at the ref while pointing frantically at a clueless Bell, got the call. —Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically
• semantically