panicky
/'pænik/
Definition
Adjective: 1. Feeling or showing sudden, overwhelming fear or anxiety: Describes a state of being overcome by intense, often irrational, fear or nervousness, typically in response to a perceived threat or stressful situation. It implies a loss of calm and self-control. 2. Characterized by or prone to panic: Describes a person, reaction, or atmosphere that is easily inclined to or marked by panic.
Usage and Examples
- As an adjective describing a person's state:
- She felt panicky when she realized she had lost her passport in a foreign country.
- He gets panicky during thunderstorms.
- As an adjective describing a reaction, behavior, or atmosphere:
- The crowd's mood turned panicky as the fire alarm sounded.
- She gave a panicky laugh when asked about the missing report.
Advanced Usage
- "to become/grow/get panicky": A common collocation describing the process of entering a state of panic.
- Investors became panicky after the sudden drop in the stock market.
- "panicky feeling/sensation": Used to describe the specific physical or emotional experience of panic.
- A panicky feeling washed over her as the elevator stopped between floors.
Variants and Related Words
- Panic (noun/verb): The intense fear itself, or the act of being overcome by it.
- Noun: The news caused widespread panic.
- Verb: There's no need to panic; we have plenty of time.
- Panicked (adjective): Very similar in meaning to "panicky," often used interchangeably. It can sometimes emphasize the state resulting from a specific event.
- The panicked passengers rushed toward the exits.
- Panic-stricken (adjective): A stronger, more literary synonym meaning filled with or characterized by panic.
- The panic-stricken animals fled from the forest fire.
Synonyms
- Alarmed: Feeling a sense of danger and worried.
- Terrified: Extremely frightened.
- Frenzied: Wildly excited or uncontrolled, often due to fear or anxiety.
- Hysterical: Deriving from or affected by uncontrolled emotion, such as fear.
Antonyms
- Calm: Not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.
- Composed: Having one's feelings and expression under control.
- Unflappable: Having or showing calmness in a crisis.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- In a panic / In a panicky state: Describes acting while experiencing panic.
- He was in a panic and couldn't think clearly.
- Push the panic button (idiom): To react to a situation with sudden, excessive fear or alarm.
- Don't push the panic button; let's analyze the problem first.
Adjective
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thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
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became panicky as the snow deepened
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felt panicked before each exam
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trying to keep back the panic-stricken crowd
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the terrified horse bolted
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