as in frightened
to strike with fear
for some reason, the herd of feeding animals at the zoo panicked him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
-
Among the key findings: Fifty-six percent of consumers are worried about affording their school supplies due to price hikes from tariffs.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
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
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Cafu, on the other hand, will be entering the ring with plenty of confidence and hunger, knowing that an upset win could change his life and put him at the center of the super flyweight spotlight.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
-
Tamra explained that Shannon was upset that she and Alexis Bellino, who is currently engaged to Shannon’s ex John Janssen, were scheduled to be there at the same time.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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More than 25,000 onlookers came to see the whale over the next few days, but when a thunderstorm erupted on July 5, the whale became frightened.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Many people may be intrinsically frightened of robots.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
But Georgi seems apprehensive about their upcoming visit.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
6 July 2025
-
Before the 1991 trip, none of the Abilene Boys had appeared apprehensive.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
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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
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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Still, Russia is genuinely alarmed at the prospect of US weapons, even defensive Patriot missile defense systems, flowing back into Ukraine.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
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The reactions on social media were swift and alarmed.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Panicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panicked. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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