Basic Details
Word: Panic
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A sudden, strong fear that makes people stop thinking clearly and act in a hurry. It can also be a verb: to panic.
Synonyms: alarm, terror, fright, fear
Antonyms: calm, composure
How to Spell Panic
Syllables: pan - ic
Tricky part: Panic ends in a plain ic with no k. The k only appears when an ending is added: panicked, panicking, panicky.
Watch out for: panick, panik, pannic
Memory tip: Keep the base short, p-a-n-i-c. A k slips in only to guard the hard c sound before e, i or y, as in panicked.
Idioms and Phrases
- press the panic button: to react in a sudden, frightened way, often too soon Example: "When the score was 0-1 at half-time, our captain told us not to press the panic button."
Usage Examples
Example 1: There was no need to panic; the lift was stuck for only a minute.
Example 2: In her panic, Meera forgot her own phone number.
Example 3: Fire drills at school teach us to leave the building without panic.
Fun Fact
The word comes from Pan, a Greek god of the wild whose sudden shouts were said to fill travellers with fear.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) domestick
b) panic
c) enthusiastick
d) sarcastik
Show answer
b) panic. Domestic, sarcastic and enthusiastic all end in a plain ic, just like panic.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: panic
a) terror
b) calm
c) fright
d) alarm
Show answer
b) calm. Someone who stays calm keeps a clear head, which is exactly what panic takes away.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The sudden power cut caused pannic among the shoppers in the crowded mall.
a) shoppers
b) pannic
c) crowded
d) sudden
Show answer
b) pannic. Panic needs just one n.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A person in a panic is most likely to ____.
a) act without thinking
b) plan every step slowly
c) sit quietly reading
d) fall asleep
Show answer
a) act without thinking
2. Which of these is most likely to cause panic?
a) a quiet afternoon nap
b) a comic read in bed
c) a fire alarm ringing in a crowded cinema
d) a slow walk in the park
Show answer
c) a fire alarm ringing in a crowded cinema
