HECTICALLY Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

hectically

adverb

as in frantically

in a confused and reckless manner a moth kept banging hectically against the screen, seeking the light on the other side

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hectically Cameramen raced around hectically setting up lights and checking shots as choreographers ran through fight sequences and a prop team worked out how to hoist a net that would later restrain a hostage. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 When Grace first awakens on his ship, the film cuts hectically around, above, and below him, as if to approximate his mental and physical disorientation. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026 Tanner plunges into these ostentatiously autobiographical roles, heedlessly, hectically and without a psychiatric net. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026 The old Helena would have mumbled something under her breath, hectically pressed the call button a few more times, and fled the situation as quickly as possible. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectically

Adverb

The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
This is a comeback story of the highest order because Taylor Moton's life was at risk, blood was splattered all over his chest, and doctors frantically rushed to keep him from dying from a life-threatening emergency.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of frantically

Adverb

It's regarded as wildly unethical and cruel, so the rationale for Netflix turning it into a TV show, where 30 people enter a real prison for two weeks, is hard to justify.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Because this animal was thrashing wildly, Packard could sense he’d been picked up in error.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of wildly

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hectic

hectically

hector

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“Hectically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectically. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hectically

adverb

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