frazzled

adjective

fraz·​zled ˈfra-zəld How to pronounce frazzled (audio)
1
: in a state of extreme physical or nervous fatigue and agitation
So relentlessly did my partner and I spring into our work throughout the week that by Saturday night we were frazzled wrecks.Jack London
A frazzled looking housefrau [=hausfrau], clutching a toilet scrub brush in one hand and the fist of a wailing toddler in the other, confronted me with a look of pure exasperation.Paul Di Filippo
She seems relaxed, breathing evenly; there's nothing here to get her frazzled.Bob Ottum
2
: damaged or weakened by strain or agitation : frayed
trying to soothe frazzled nerves

Examples of frazzled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web When Newsom calls Biden (Mikey Day) on FaceTime, the frazzled president can’t raise the volume and instead hangs up on the call. Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 So my strategy that week was to lay as low as possible, but also not to seem too frazzled or too worried. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023 America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt play a frazzled mother and her sardonic teen daughter, who've drifted apart over time. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 July 2023 A little pride, a little chutzpah changed the tenor on the court from frazzled and small to proud and intentional. Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 Case in point: Maya Hawke joins the series as the frazzled newcomer Anxiety. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024 Last year there was the frazzled Englishwoman, 2020 had cottagecore, and, reaching into the very distant past (2019), there were VSCO girls. Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023 The rest of the month will provide plenty of opportunity to restore equilibrium to your frazzled nerves and settle back into healthy rhythms for your body. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2023 Gino is in her mid-forties, with dark curly hair and a frazzled aspect. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frazzled.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of frazzled was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near frazzled

Cite this Entry

“Frazzled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frazzled. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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