A listener in Dallas, Texas, asks about frenetic, a word he heard from a business-school professor, and how it differs from frantic. Both adjectives trace back to a Greek root meaning “brain” or “mind,” also found in words such as frenzy and schizophrenic. Frenetic suggests wild, agitated activity and often has a more neutral sense, as in a frenetic schedule. Frantic tends to carry more emotion and a more negative tone, as in frantic efforts or a frantic scream. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Frenetic and Frantic Share a Greek Root”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello.
Hi, who’s this?
This is Shaker Dadlani.
Shaker?
Yes, that’s right.
Where are you calling from, Shaker?
I’m calling from Dallas, Texas.
Well, welcome to the program. Glad to have you.
Thank you.
What can we do for you?
I was calling to learn the meaning and the origin of the word frenetic.
F-R-E-N-E-T-I-C.
-huh. Okay. What got you interested in that word?
Oh, well, I graduated from business school last year, and one of my professors in school used the word frenetic, and I did not know what he meant by it.
I knew the word frantic, and I figured frenetic meant frantic in a business environment, I guess.
So I wanted to know where this word came from.
Is the origin in the word frantic?
And if not, what’s the origin, what’s the history behind it?
-huh.
So frenetic was the word that he used.
Correct.
And do you remember what context he was using it in?
It’s an entrepreneurship school.
So the context was in a business environment.
You need to be very proactive and get to situations or anticipate situations early on.
I guess that was the context he had used it in.
Okay, so he was talking about frenetic activity then.
Correct.
Is that the idea?
Okay.
One dictionary has a pretty good distinction, the American Heritage, between these two adjectives.
And it describes frenetic meaning wildly excited and frantic meaning highly excited.
And I think that’s the difference in just shades of meaning, that frenetic is a little bit more caffeinated, you might say.
Would you agree with that, Grant?
Mm—
Exactly.
But here’s what’s really cool.
You asked about the history of the word, and I’m so glad you did, because both of these words are really closely related etymologically.
And they both go back to a Greek word, fren, which means brain or mind.
And you see this root, for example, in schizophrenic, which is a split mind.
And you see it in the word frenzy as well.
Frenzy. Is that right? Okay.
And frenitis in ancient Greek was an inflammation of the brain.
And caused, you know, frenetic activity or frantic activity.
And so both of these words have a common ancestor and arose pretty much around the same time.
And frenetic came to mean just a little bit more agitated.
That’s the way I would describe it.
They are used almost exactly the same in English.
You can have a frenetic or a frantic pace, for example, or you can have frantic activity or frenetic activity.
But one little difference that I see when I look at the big mass of data here is that frantic is usually a little more negative, a frantic rescue or a frantic scream.
And frenetic is a little more neutral, a frenetic drumming or a frenetic schedule.
So we’ve started to differentiate them a little bit more in their value.
That’s interesting because I think a frantic is carrying more emotion.
Oh, you do?
And frenetic is carrying more motion, actually.
Visually, I get a different visual.
So what’s a good, can you give an example, put it in a sentence for me?
Yeah, we made frantic efforts to rescue the…
The stranded sea lion.
The stranded sea lion.
Right.
Okay.
Or, yeah, entrepreneurs have to engage in frenetic activity in order to keep their businesses going.
Yeah, exactly.
Working 24-7 and making all kinds of phone calls or deals or whatever.
Does that make sense?
-huh.
That does make sense.
Thank you.
Yeah.
So are you an entrepreneur now?
I am working towards being one.
So you’re engaged in a lot of frenetic activity?
Frenetic activity.
That’s correct.
And what kind of startup are you involved with?
I am trying to build an air conditioning unit that runs on solar power.
That runs on solar power?
Yes.
Very nice.
Excellent.
Keep up the frenetic activity.
We could use that.
I would say we’ll look for you in the business pages.
That’s sure to be a success.
Definitely.
Good luck to you.
Shaka, thank you so much for your call.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
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