Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: frenetic

frantic

 adjective
     
fran‧tic
1 extremely worried and frightened about a situation, so that you cannot control your feelings
get/become frantic
There was still no news of Jill, and her parents were getting frantic.
frantic with
Your mother's been frantic with worry wondering where you've been.
2 extremely hurried and using a lot of energy, but not very organized [= hectic]:
I spent three frantic days trying to get everything ready.
frantic effort/attempt
Despite our frantic efforts, we were unable to save the boy's life.
frantic pace/rush/haste etc
There was a frantic rush to escape from the building.
a frantic search for her father
—frantically adverb:
He frantically searched for the key.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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