frenetic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of frenetic
First recorded in 1350–1400; see origin at frantic
Compare meaning
How does frenetic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The adjective frenetic is another way to say frenzied, frantic, or totally worked up. Kind of how you'd run around the kitchen madly trying to cook a last-minute dinner for 30 of your closest friends. Sometimes tinged with fear and often quite maniacal, frenetic comes from the Latin phreneticus, meaning “delirious.” The Latin word, in turn, came from a similarly spelled Greek word which, when translated literally, means “inflammation of the brain.” So it's no surprise that a frenetic person looks absolutely crazed and super anxious.
Vocabulary lists containing frenetic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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The Marrow Thieves
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Articles on Dangers of Technology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since then there has been frenetic activity behind-the-scenes, mainly at Hillsborough Castle, to try to break the deadlock.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Each half of the film reflects the character it follows, the first part frenetic, densely packed and bursting with music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s not about frenetic, but it is about motion.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
The past few months have seen frenetic buying and selling by individual stock traders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
He’s so frenetic, he can’t seem to find a lane.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
