frenetic.

Marked by excessively fast, agitated, or frantic activity.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• frenetic pace
• frenetic city
• frenetic atmosphere

On the page

The district's frenetic pace made a ten-minute delay seem disastrous.

At the departure terminal, the atmosphere became frenetic after three cancellations.

She left the frenetic trading floor for the measured routines of a local shop.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. More strained and uncontrolled than bustling. Describes the tempo of a place or activity rather than a head count. Comparative: more frenetic; superlative: most frenetic.