panic-stricken.

Overwhelmed by sudden, intense fear that disrupts clear thought or orderly action.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• panic-stricken crowd
• panic-stricken flight
• panic-stricken voice

On the page

The panic-stricken crowd surged toward the exit.

She heard her own panic-stricken voice calling from the dark.

He was panic-stricken for a moment, then forced himself to look for the stairs.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Forms: Normally treated as an intense state; no ordinary -er/-est forms. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.