frantically

adverb

fran·​ti·​cal·​ly ˈfran-ti-k(ə-)lē 

: in a frantic manner : in a nervously hurried, desperate, or panic-stricken way

searching frantically for the key fob

[Carlton] Fisk stood several feet down the line, frantically urging the ball fair with his hands. It hit the yellow foul pole above the wall, a home run.

—Ron Fimrite

Wine companies, fearing that younger drinkers are slipping out of their grasp, have been frantically trying to create products that will be viewed as edgy, hip and fun.

—Mitch Frank

During the new moon, a hatch of baby sea turtles erupts from the sand, struggling frantically to get to the ocean.

—Bernice Notenboom

Synonyms of frantically

• wildly
• desperately
• wild
• uncontrollably
• frenziedly

Examples of frantically in a Sentence

the veterinarian ran frantically from room to room looking for the escaped hamster

Recent Examples on the Web

Video of the incident posted to TikTok show passengers frantically escaping the plane via its inflatable emergency slides on an airport taxiway. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026

That’s when 72-year-old Leidis Rodríguez frantically cooked beans after the lights switched on this week following hours of uninterrupted blackouts. — Andrea Rodriguez, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Fox recorded video of Stout leaving the area calmly after the fire started among others frantically getting away from the fast-spreading wildfire, Noel told the judge. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Baela isn’t sleeping or eating and is frantically seeking redemption after blaming herself for Jace’s death. — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frantically

• romantically