frantic

American  

[fran-tik] / ˈfræn tɪk /

adjective

1. desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied.

   Synonyms:

   distraught, disturbed, agitated, overwrought

2. Archaic. insane; mad.

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frantic British  

/ ˈfræntɪk /

adjective

1. distracted with fear, pain, joy, etc

2. marked by or showing frenzy

   frantic efforts

3. archaic insane

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Other Word Forms

• frantically
  adverb
• franticness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of frantic

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English frantik, frenetik, phrentique (the spelling with a appears in the 14th century but is unexplained), from Old French frenetique ( French frénétique ), from Latin phrenēticus, phrenīticus “mad, delirious,” from Greek phrenētikós, phrenītikós “suffering from inflammation of the brain or delerium” ( see phrenitis ( def. )); see frenzy, -tic

Compare meaning

How does frantic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• frenetic vs. frantic

Explanation

When a mother loses her child, she's frantic. She's a crazed sort of agitated and goes on a frantic search for her child. A scene is frantic if there's lots of action with little order. Frantic is related to frenzy and both were originally ways to describe mental illness. Hundreds of years ago, if you were frantic, you were stark raving mad. Today, frantic implies fast wild movements or a desperate attempt to do something. On Christmas Eve, the scene at the mall was frantic with shoppers desperately searching for their last few gifts. And a wild party would only be called frantic if the police were called and everyone rushed to get away.

Example Sentences

At times this season, Spurs have resembled an unmotivated rabble – which is why the frantic pumping of fists and wild celebrations also felt uncomfortable and, yes, embarrassing.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

"For the families, this is really, really difficult. We hear from families who can't reach their loved ones on board ships and they're really frantic with worry."

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

“Kids were absolutely frantic because they wanted Michigan to be an option, but they didn’t want to apply early decision,” said Tara Dowling, an independent college consultant.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

But some key details remain unknown, including exactly what went down during those frantic seconds at the hotel and what motivated him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

My frantic search uncovered a plethora of random objects—clothing, shoe brushes, buttonhooks, photographs of wives and sweethearts, tins of wax and pastes—things that seemed so ordinary, so human.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• agitated
• angry
• delirious
• distraught
• frenetic
• frenzied
• furious
• hectic
• mad
• overwrought
• weird