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definitions

frantic

[ fran-tik ]
/ ˈfræn tɪk /
||
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adjective

desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied.
Archaic. insane; mad.

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RELATED WORDS

desperately, excitedly, madly, wildly, uncontrollably, berserk, crazily, helter-skelter, wild, agitatedly, amok, franticly, hectically, hysterically

Nearby words

  1. franks,
  2. franks peak,
  3. franky,
  4. frannie,
  5. franseria,
  6. franticly,
  7. franz,
  8. franz ferdinand,
  9. franz josef,
  10. franz josef i

Origin of frantic

1325–75; Middle English frantik, frenetik < Old French frenetique < Latin phrenēticus delirious < Greek phrenētikós. See frenzy, -tic
Related formsfran·ti·cal·ly, fran·tic·ly, adverbfran·tic·ness, noun
Can be confusedfanatic frantic frenetic (see synonym study at fanatic)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for frantically

British Dictionary definitions for frantically

frantic

/ (ˈfræntɪk) /

adjective

distracted with fear, pain, joy, etc
marked by or showing frenzyfrantic efforts
archaic insane
Derived Formsfrantically or franticly, adverbfranticness, noun

Word Origin for frantic

C14: from Old French frenetique, from Latin phrenēticus mad, frenetic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for frantically

frantic

adj.

mid-14c., "insane," unexplained variant of Middle English frentik (see frenetic). Transferred meaning "affected by wild excitement" is from late 15c. Of the adverbial forms, frantically (1749) is later than franticly (1540s).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper