frenetic

WOTD – 19 November 2009    

English

Alternative forms

• phrenetic (dated)
• phrenetick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French frenetike, from Latin phreneticus, from Ancient Greek φρενητικός (“delirious”), from φρενῖτις (“delirium”), from φρήν (“mind”). Compare frantic.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /fɹəˈnɛt.ɪk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

frenetic (comparative more frenetic, superlative most frenetic)

1. Fast, harried; having extreme enthusiasm or energy.

   After a week of working at a frenetic pace, she was ready for Saturday.

2. (obsolete) Mentally deranged, insane.
3. (obsolete, medicine) Characterised by manifestations of delirium or madness.

Synonyms

• frantic, frenzied

Translations

fast, frantic, harried, or frenzied

• Catalan: frenètic (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 發狂的 (cmn), 发狂的 (cmn) (fākuáng de)

• Dutch: frenetiek (nl), bezeten (nl)
• Finnish: kiihkeä (fi), raivokas (fi), kuumeinen (fi)
• French: frénétique (fr)
• German: frenetisch, phrenetisch (obsolete)
• Hungarian: frenetikus (hu)

• Italian: frenetico (it)
• Norwegian: frenetisk (no)
• Polish: szalony (pl), szaleńczy (pl)
• Portuguese: frenético (pt) m
• Russian: неистовый (ru) (neístovyj), безумный (ru) (bezúmnyj), бешеный (ru) (béšenyj), вне себя (ru) (vne sebjá)
• Spanish: frenético

Related terms

• frantic
• frenzy

Noun

frenetic (plural frenetics)

1. One who is frenetic.

External links

• frenetic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• frenetic at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• reinfect