Meaning & use
hectic
Last updated
UK/ˈhɛktɪk/
US/ˈhɛktɪk/
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Extremely busy and rushed, with a lot happening.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a hectic week.
Patterns
- a hectic schedule
- hectic with something
It has been a hectic week at the office.
The airport was hectic before the holiday.
Her hectic schedule leaves no free time.
adjectivebefore a nounmedicalold-fashioned
Flushed and feverish, as in a hectic fever.
Grammar: Medical and dated.
Patterns
- a hectic flush
He had a hectic flush on his cheeks.
A hectic fever came each evening.
The patient showed hectic color.
Word forms
| comparative | more hectic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most hectic |
Common combinations
- hectic schedule
- A hectic schedule kept her busy.
- hectic pace
- The hectic pace tired him.
- hectic day
- It was a hectic day.
- hectic lifestyle
- A hectic lifestyle left little time for rest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- frantic
- Frantic suggests panic and wild haste.
- chaotic
- Chaotic stresses disorder.
- busy
- Busy is the mild everyday word.
- frenetic
- Frenetic means fast and uncontrolled.
Opposites
Word family
- hectically adverb
- in a rushed, busy way
Commonly confused: hectic or hectare?
hectic vs hectare
A hectare is a unit of land area.
Practice
Which describes a hectic morning?
Choose one answer.
Hectic means very busy and rushed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hectic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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