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frenzied
/ˈfrɛn.ziːd/
wildly excited or uncontrolled
The crowd erupted into a frenzied cheer when the team scored the winning goal.
The crowd became wildly excited and uncontrollable after the team's victory.
formal
marked by intense agitation or wild excitement
Investors showed a frenzied response to the sudden stock market surge.
Investors reacted with wild excitement to the unexpected rise in stock prices.
She made a frenzied attempt to finish the project before the deadline.
She worked in a wildly excited and uncontrolled manner to complete the project on time.
Often implies a state of extreme activity or emotion, sometimes with a negative connotation of chaos.
Collocations
frenzied activitychaotic or intense workfrenzied paceextremely fast and uncontrolled speedfrenzied crowda group acting with wild excitement
Antonyms
Pro Tip
Avoid overusing 'frenzied'
While 'frenzied' is vivid, it can sound dramatic. Reserve it for situations where the excitement or chaos is truly intense, not for mild agitation.
Gold Rule
Match tone to context
Use 'frenzied' for intense, often chaotic energy. For calm but busy activity, consider 'hectic' or 'busy' instead.
Word Origin
From Middle English 'frenesie' (madness, frenzy), from Old French 'frenesie', from Latin 'phrenesis' (delirium), from Greek 'phrēn' (mind, diaphragm). The '-ed' suffix turns the noun into an adjective describing a state of being.
Usage Notes
Used to describe both positive excitement (e.g., fans at a concert) and negative chaos (e.g., a panicked crowd). Often paired with nouns like 'activity,' 'crowd,' or 'search.'
Word Breakdown
fren-
from Latin 'phren-' (mind, diaphragm), related to madness or excitement
root-ed
adjective-forming suffix indicating a state or condition
suffixEnglish Dictionary