panic-stricken

[ pan-ik-strik-uhn ]
See synonyms for panic-stricken on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. overcome with, characterized by, or resulting from fear, panic, or the like: panic-stricken parents looking for their child; a panic-stricken phone call.

Origin of panic-stricken

1
First recorded in 1795–1805
  • Also pan·ic-struck [pan-ik-struhk]. /ˈpæn ɪkˌstrʌk/.

Words Nearby panic-stricken

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

How to use panic-stricken in a sentence

  • Ward, panic stricken and terrified, looked up at Mr. Peck, who stood frowning down at the pair.

  • He knew that if he were really panic-stricken and attempted to carry it off in the masterful manner, she would laugh in his face.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • There came a volley followed by fiendish yells and the advance came tearing back, panic-stricken.

  • They were obviously panic-stricken, one or two of them being of an ashy-yellow, their nearest possible approach to pallor.

    Overland | John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for panic-stricken

panic-stricken

adjective
  1. affected by panic

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