panicky
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
All five describe feelings of fear or unease, but they differ in intensity, duration, and register. 'Anxious' is the most neutral and is fine in formal writing; it suggests a steady worry that may last hours or days, as in 'anxious about the exam results'. 'Panicky' is informal and points to a sudden, sharp loss of control — you feel it for minutes, not days, often when something unexpected goes wrong. 'Frantic' is stronger still and usually shows in wild action, not just inner feeling: 'frantic parents searching the beach'. 'Jittery' is light and informal — nervous fidgeting before a job interview. 'Alarmed' captures the first jolt when you notice danger, before fear takes over. Use 'panicky' when the person can no longer think straight; use 'alarmed' for the moment they first sense trouble.
Common collocations
Nouns
- panicky voice
- panicky look
- panicky feeling
- panicky decision
- panicky reaction
Adverbs
- a little panicky
- slightly panicky
- increasingly panicky
Phrases
- feel panicky
- get panicky
- grow panicky
- sound panicky
Prepositions
- panicky about (something)
Etymology
Formed in English in the mid-1800s by adding the adjective ending '-y' to the noun 'panic'. 'Panic' itself goes back through French to the Greek word 'panikos', meaning 'of Pan'. Pan was a Greek god of the wild whose sudden shouts in lonely places were said to throw travellers into wild fear — so the original sense of 'panic fear' was the kind of terror Pan caused.