as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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as in panicky
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Recent Examples of panicked
Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
A couple moving from the United States to Spain with their cat panicked when her favorite blanket was too big for their luggage, but their quick-thinking solution melted people's hearts.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Investors who panicked and sold missed out on one of the fastest market recoveries in history, as the S&P 500 rebounded to new all-time highs within months.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The second came in April 2022, when Wall Street panicked over analysts’ predicting slow subscriber growth as Disney, HBO and NBCUniversal invested heavily in streaming.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Even when things were not going his way, thanks to Burns’ grappling skills, Della Maddalena never panicked.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Alex Wong/Getty Images A few weeks ago, Brooke Kirkpatrick was panicked about being forced to leave her family's apartment in Willoughby, Ohio.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
In February, a warning from a South Texas school district that agents at checkpoints might board school buses carrying schoolchildren to extracurricular activities panicked parents in the region.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2025
If Jones signs elsewhere Miami should get panicked.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Is there anyone who flies regularly who hasn’t momentarily panicked over misplacing their ticket or driver’s license?
—Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
A couple moving from the United States to Spain with their cat panicked when her favorite blanket was too big for their luggage, but their quick-thinking solution melted people's hearts.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Investors who panicked and sold missed out on one of the fastest market recoveries in history, as the S&P 500 rebounded to new all-time highs within months.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The second came in April 2022, when Wall Street panicked over analysts’ predicting slow subscriber growth as Disney, HBO and NBCUniversal invested heavily in streaming.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Even when things were not going his way, thanks to Burns’ grappling skills, Della Maddalena never panicked.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Alex Wong/Getty Images A few weeks ago, Brooke Kirkpatrick was panicked about being forced to leave her family's apartment in Willoughby, Ohio.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
In February, a warning from a South Texas school district that agents at checkpoints might board school buses carrying schoolchildren to extracurricular activities panicked parents in the region.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2025
If Jones signs elsewhere Miami should get panicked.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panicked
Adjective
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Many tourism leaders in gateway towns near them are worried tourists will start going elsewhere if the park experience or its environment gets eroded.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 July 2025
-
As an interior and environment appropriations bill makes its way through Congress, activists are worried about its impacts, including on coal ash regulations.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Verb
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The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
-
My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Bettors are taking the underdog in the hopes of an upset.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
In return, the Twins got a whole lot of salary relief, particularly from the Correa deal, a host of prospects, young major-league players and an upset fanbase.—
Betsy Helfand,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Not surprisingly, the woman being targeted by the scams was extremely frightened.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
30 July 2025
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Many people may be intrinsically frightened of robots.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Considering schools have regularly been paying top talents hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars annually, coaches were understandably apprehensive about the clearinghouse review process.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
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But mom Angelina is reportedly feeling like any parent when her kids leave the nest, apprehensive.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Although Indiana has not experienced an immigration raid at this scale, community leaders shared that many in migrant communities are afraid that they may potentially be picked up off the street and deported, whether rightfully or not.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
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If getting this set up on your own sounds daunting, don’t be afraid to ask for help, McCoy says.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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There’s people that are getting into trouble because the powers that be are scared, too.—
Mario Koran,
jsonline.com,
12 July 2025
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Most notable in the repeat of Man of Steel elements and themes, there’s the Kryptonian message threatening earth, which makes the public scared, so Superman turns himself in to government authorities.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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In May 2020, Sacramento, California, resident Alfonso Nguyen was alarmed to find two Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies at his door, accusing him of illegally growing cannabis and demanding entry into his home.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
22 July 2025
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Both are alarmed that their younger counterparts have begun receiving similar threatening notes one year after their own roadside tragedy, and yet another person or persons rocking a rain slicker and one long, nasty hook are doling out some karmic payback.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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