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Semantic Crisis Intervention
Some people are bothered by changes in a word’s meaning (see: literally), while others have a more relaxed attitude towards semantic drift. For those who feel vexed when a word seems to have suddenly changed its spots, it may be of some comfort to know that words in English do this all the time; crisis is a fine example. Originally, crisis denoted “the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever.” Now it most commonly means “a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention,” yet few people insist that it should be used exclusively in its older meaning. The normality of semantic change can be seen in another word that first appeared in febrile contexts: hectic, which now is primarily used to mean “very busy,” originally referred to a fever that was fluctuating but recurrent.
Synonyms
Examples of hectic in a Sentence
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 9 May 2024
Chinese authorities asserted that these hectic actions were aimed to rectify the myriad of regulatory problems caused by years of unchecked growth and disorderly competition among local tech giants.
—Angela Huyue Zhang, TIME, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hectic 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hectic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hectic
Cite this Entry
“Hectic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hectic. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hectic
adjective
Medical Definition
hectic
adjective
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