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

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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

Derived Forms

• frenzily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• frenzies
  plural

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

Four minutes after England’s second goal, Quiñones capitalized on a loose ball in the box and scored to make it 2-1, breathing new life into Mexico’s campaign and sending Azteca Stadium into a frenzy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

In the press zone after matches, where media can speak to players, the frenzy reaches another level.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

But behind the stock-buying frenzy, alarm bells are ringing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

South Korea’s ‘Ant’ army is driving an AI market frenzy.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

There was, reported the New York Evening Post, “a frenzy to hire trucks or baby carriages or anything else on wheels.”

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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