frenzy

American  

[fren-zee] / ˈfrɛn zi /

noun

plural

frenzies

1. a state of extreme mental agitation or wild excitement.

   There's something big businesses love about working their customers into a frenzy of anticipation.

   Antonyms:

   calm

2. a burst of agitated, energetic action or activity.

   Athens in the late 1960s was in the midst of a building frenzy.

3. a fit or spell of mental derangement; a paroxysm characteristic of or resulting from a mania.

   He is subject to these frenzies several times a year.

   Synonyms:

   raving, fury, rage, aberration, lunacy, insanity, madness

   Antonyms:

   sanity

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verb (used with object)

frenzied, frenzying

1. to drive into a frenzy; make frantic.

   She was frenzied by fear when she smelled the smoke.

frenzy British  

/ ˈfrɛnzɪ /

noun

1. violent mental derangement

2. wild excitement or agitation; distraction

3. a bout of wild or agitated activity

   a frenzy of preparations

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verb

1. (tr) to make frantic; drive into a frenzy

Other Word Forms

• frenzily adverb

Etymology

Origin of frenzy

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English frenesie, from Old French, from Late Latin phrenēsis, from Late Greek, for Greek phrenîtis; phrenitis

Explanation

In a frenzy, people go into a state of hysteria. Stay away from hungry sharks or kids at a 16th birthday party when the pizza arrives if you don't want to get caught up in a feeding frenzy. Frenzy is derived from the Latin word phreneticus meaning "delirious." If you're in a frenzy, you're certainly delirious. You can be in a frenzy because something made you mad, happy, or even just hungry — whatever makes you so crazy you're not thinking clearly. Frenzy is often used when talking about a group of people (or animals) who get worked up at the same time about the same thing, like sharks near tasty fish or teenagers near pizza.

Example Sentences

Davidson analyst Gil Luria is intrigued by a powerful forthcoming Anthropic model that suggests the compute frenzy is “not at the peak,” a trend that would be “especially positive for memory stocks.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

"We've never seen such an internet frenzy towards one of our music videos and songs, so it's really nice."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

He’s long resented her inability to contain the frenzy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

But instead of simply riding or feeding the frenzy, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, stakes out enlightening new ground in “Frida: The Making of an Icon,” on view through May 17.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In a frenzy, local police rounded up labor leaders and suspected radicals, plus hundreds of workers.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

Related Words

• burst
• craze
• excitement
• fever
• free-for-all
• furor
• fury
• hysteria
• madness
• mania
• outburst
• passion
• rage
• turmoil