1
: emotionally out of control
2
: marked by fast and nervous, disordered, or anxiety-driven activity
made a frantic search for the lost child
frantic cries for help
3
archaic
: mentally unsound
Examples of frantic in a Sentence
The girl was frantic with fear.
They made a frantic search for the missing child.
They were making frantic preparations for the party.
a frantic attempt to finish on schedule
Recent Examples on the Web
For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.
—
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Huntington Park High School Principal Carlos Garibaldi was preparing to host a graduation on his campus when frantic colleagues radioed him: Immigration is coming.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
On July 7, Chambers sat on one of the lawn chairs with friends and recalled the frantic moments when the river mauled his park.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Her first inkling of trouble came when she was roused from her sleep at 4:30 a.m. on July 4 by a frantic phone from her general manager, Courtney Garrison, who lived above the store with her daughter, Stella.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Huntington Park High School Principal Carlos Garibaldi was preparing to host a graduation on his campus when frantic colleagues radioed him: Immigration is coming.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
On July 7, Chambers sat on one of the lawn chairs with friends and recalled the frantic moments when the river mauled his park.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Her first inkling of trouble came when she was roused from her sleep at 4:30 a.m. on July 4 by a frantic phone from her general manager, Courtney Garrison, who lived above the store with her daughter, Stella.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for frantic
Cite this Entry
“Frantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frantic. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
frantic
adjective
fran·tic
ˈfrant-ik 
1
: wildly excited
frantic cries for help
was frantic with fear
2
: marked by wild and hurried activity
a frantic search for the missing child
franticly
adverb
-i-klē
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share