1 frantic | Definition of frantic

frantic

adjective
fran·​tic | \ ˈfran-tik How to pronounce frantic (audio) \

Definition of frantic

1 : emotionally out of control
2 : marked by fast and nervous, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity made a frantic search for the lost child frantic cries for help
3 archaic : mentally deranged

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Other Words from frantic

franticness \ ˈfran-​tik-​nəs How to pronounce franticness (audio) \ noun

Examples of frantic in a Sentence

The girl was frantic with fear. They made a frantic search for the missing child.
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Recent Examples on the Web

The play withstood an instant replay review - one of five on the day and three during the frantic Browns comeback. — Rich Exner, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Browns thrilling 2002 OT win over Tennessee Titans: Browns flashback," 3 Sep. 2019 Tranquil rice paddies surround Dao Tu but its centre is bustling and frantic, as suppliers try to keep up with the surge in demand in the run-up to the festival. — 1843, "Vietnam’s ghosts are hungry for iPhones," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frantic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of frantic

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

History and Etymology for frantic

Middle English frenetik, frantik — more at frenetic

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More Definitions for frantic

frantic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of frantic

: feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry
: having a lot of wild and hurried activity

frantic

adjective
fran·​tic | \ ˈfran-tik How to pronounce frantic (audio) \

Kids Definition of frantic

1 : feeling or showing fear and worry a frantic search
2 : having wild and hurried activity They made a frantic attempt to finish.

Other Words from frantic

frantically \ -​ti-​kə-​lē \ adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on frantic

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with frantic

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for frantic

Spanish Central: Translation of frantic

Nglish: Translation of frantic for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of frantic for Arabic Speakers