frantic
[ fran-tik ]
adjective
desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied.
Archaic. insane; mad.
Origin of frantic
1First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English frantik, frenetik, phrentique (the spelling with a appears in the 14th century but is unexplained), from Old French frenetique (French frénétique ), from Latin phrenēticus, phrenīticus “mad, delirious,” from Greek phrenētikós, phrenītikós “suffering from inflammation of the brain or delerium” ( see phrenitis); see frenzy, -tic
Other words for frantic
Other words from frantic
- fran·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- fran·tic·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with frantic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for frantic
frantic
/ (ˈfræntɪk) /
adjective
distracted with fear, pain, joy, etc
marked by or showing frenzy: frantic efforts
archaic insane
Origin of frantic
1C14: from Old French frenetique, from Latin phrenēticus mad, frenetic
Derived forms of frantic
- frantically or franticly, adverb
- franticness, noun
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
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