frantic
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry because you are in a hurry or a difficult situation.
characterised by wild or distraught feelings of fear, anxiety, or other emotion.
Simple“The parents were frantic with worry when their child didn't come home on time.”
In context“The rescue team made a frantic search for survivors as the sun began to set over the wreckage.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
done in a very fast and excited way because you have a lot to do in a short time.
conducted in a hurried, excited, and disorganized manner.
Simple“We made a frantic effort to finish the report before the deadline.”
In context“The office was a scene of frantic activity as the staff prepared for the unexpected arrival of the auditors.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
an old-fashioned way to describe someone who is mentally ill or acting crazy.
mentally deranged or insane. This sense is restricted to historical contexts or period literature.
Simple“In the old story, the character was described as frantic and lost his mind.”
In context“The nineteenth-century medical journal described the patient as frantic, a term then used to denote acute mania.”
From Middle English frantike, frentik, variant of frenetik, from Old French frenetique, from Late Latin phreneticus, alteration of phreniticus, from φρενιτικός (phrenitikós, “mad, suffering from inflammation of the brain”), from φρενῖτις (phrenîtis, “inflammation of the brain”), from φρήν (phrḗn, “the brain”). Doublet of frenetic and phrenitic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.