as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
a moth kept banging hectically against the screen, seeking the light on the other side
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Recent Examples of hectically
When Grace first awakens on his ship, the film cuts hectically around, above, and below him, as if to approximate his mental and physical disorientation.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Tanner plunges into these ostentatiously autobiographical roles, heedlessly, hectically and without a psychiatric net.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The old Helena would have mumbled something under her breath, hectically pressed the call button a few more times, and fled the situation as quickly as possible.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Tanner plunges into these ostentatiously autobiographical roles, heedlessly, hectically and without a psychiatric net.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The old Helena would have mumbled something under her breath, hectically pressed the call button a few more times, and fled the situation as quickly as possible.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectically
Adverb
-
Third base coach Hector Borg frantically waved Lee home, and Lee kept his foot on the gas.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Employees were frantically readying the space to serve its first customers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Adverb
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But Mexican authorities believe that the measles virus probably arrived in the throat or lungs of the third-grader, who was unvaccinated, and then spread wildly.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
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As a result, the Oscar-winner maintained, gender imbalance is still wildly present in the industry.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectically. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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