# frantic

/ˈfɹæntɪk/ (US) · /fɹˈɑːntɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/frantic
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. panicked or worried

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry because you are in a hurry or a difficult situation.

For teachers: characterised by wild or distraught feelings of fear, anxiety, or other emotion.

- The parents were frantic with worry when their child didn't come home on time.
- The rescue team made a frantic search for survivors as the sun began to set over the wreckage.

### 2. hurried and disorganized

adjective · CEFR B2

done in a very fast and excited way because you have a lot to do in a short time.

For teachers: conducted in a hurried, excited, and disorganized manner.

- We made a frantic effort to finish the report before the deadline.
- The office was a scene of frantic activity as the staff prepared for the unexpected arrival of the auditors.

### 3. mentally unstable

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old-fashioned way to describe someone who is mentally ill or acting crazy.

For teachers: mentally deranged or insane. This sense is restricted to historical contexts or period literature.

- In the old story, the character was described as frantic and lost his mind.
- The nineteenth-century medical journal described the patient as frantic, a term then used to denote acute mania.

## Examples

- She made a frantic search for her lost keys.
- The rescue team made a frantic attempt to reach the trapped hikers before the storm arrived.
- After realizing the deadline was only an hour away, the office erupted into frantic activity as staff scrambled to finalize the report.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.