frenzy

American  

[fren-zee] / ˈfrɛn zi /

noun

frenzies plural

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

---

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

---

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; see 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

That’s the Dallas business that created a PR-fueled frenzy last year with an announcement that it had brought the dire wolf back from extinction.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

The Barron’s Investor Circle team will look at investing amid the AI frenzy, and take audience questions.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

By one measure, investors haven’t been this bulled up on stocks since the heady days of the original meme-stock frenzy back in 2021.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The launch of an exclusive pocket watch has sparked a frenzy that forced stores worldwide to close and in some cases saw police officers and security deal with huge unruly crowds.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

In the frenzy, a prized portrait of George Washington was also taken from the White House.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

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