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hectic

[ hek-tik ]
/ ˈhɛk tɪk /
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See synonyms for: hectic / hectically on Thesaurus.com

adjective
characterized by intense agitation, excitement, confused and rapid movement, etc.: The week before the trip was hectic and exhausting.
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Origin of hectic

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin hecticus<Greek hektikós habitual, consumptive, adj. corresponding to héxis possession, state, habit, equivalent to *hech-, base of échein to have + -sis-sis; see -tic; replacing Middle English etyk<Middle French

OTHER WORDS FROM hectic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hectic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hectic

hectic
/ (ˈhɛktɪk) /

adjective
characterized by extreme activity or excitement
associated with, peculiar to, or symptomatic of tuberculosis (esp in the phrases hectic fever, hectic flush)
noun
a hectic fever or flush
rare a person who is consumptive or who experiences a hectic fever or flush

Derived forms of hectic

hectically, adverb

Word Origin for hectic

C14: from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikos habitual, from hexis state, from ekhein to have
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
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