hectic

American  

[hek-tik] / ˈhɛk tɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by intense agitation, excitement, confused and rapid movement, etc..

   The week before the trip was hectic and exhausting.

   Synonyms:

   chaotic, wild, frenzied, frantic

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hectic British  

/ ˈhɛktɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by extreme activity or excitement

2. associated with, peculiar to, or symptomatic of tuberculosis (esp in the phrases hectic fever, hectic flush )

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noun

1. a hectic fever or flush

2. rare a person who is consumptive or who experiences a hectic fever or flush

Other Word Forms

• hectically adverb
• hecticly adverb
• hecticness noun
• nonhectic adjective
• nonhectically adverb
• unhectic adjective
• unhectically adverb

Etymology

Origin of hectic

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin hecticus, from Greek hektikós “habitual, consumptive,” adjective derivative of héxis “possession, state, habit,” equivalent to hech- (base of échein “to have, hold, keep”) + -sis -sis; replacing Middle English etyk, from Middle French

Explanation

Things that are hectic tend to be happen quickly and all at once — that's why a hectic day makes people nervous. Think about a calm, beautiful island with the sun shining and nothing to do but read a book. That kind of peacefulness is the opposite of hectic. When things get hectic, people sometimes say things are getting crazy or bananas: events are happening too fast for us to keep up, so we tend to get agitated or even angry. Because there's so much work to do, being a student is often a hectic job.

Example Sentences

Like many cafes in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the circa-1946 Café Giảng slots into the hectic, colorful streetscape like a narrow paperback on a library shelf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

What you don’t mention in your letter is your monthly or annual expenses, nor your lifestyle, which may be less hectic given your arthritis symptoms.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

As is often the case in Disney movies, things push on to a climactic series of action scenes that are more hectic than exciting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

This year, though, the itineraries are more hectic and varied than ever.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

The face in the mirror was practically a stranger — eyes too bright, hectic spots of red across my cheekbones.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Related Words

• boisterous
• chaotic
• exciting
• frenetic
• frenzied
• heated
• tumultuous
• unsettled