as in irritable
tending towards or characterized by agitation or irritability
They finally lulled the fretful baby to sleep. I kept having fretful thoughts about what would happen if we couldn't pay our bills.
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Recent Examples of fretful
But that doesn’t mean viewers won’t be increasingly exasperated by the ways the screenplay forces Knightley’s character into a clumsy, fretful investigation.
—
The New York Times, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Investors are fretful heading into the August payrolls report.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite the fretful retreat staged by most House Democrats, preliminary polling shows significant public support for Trump’s impeachment.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Suddenly the Toronto crowd’s sound turned from festive to fretful.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fretful
The New York Times, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Investors are fretful heading into the August payrolls report.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite the fretful retreat staged by most House Democrats, preliminary polling shows significant public support for Trump’s impeachment.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Suddenly the Toronto crowd’s sound turned from festive to fretful.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
-
They can be withdrawn or irritable.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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While Hockney worked, Auden, as the artist recalled, played the part of the impatient, irritable grump.—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Nayyar played the socially anxious Raj Koothrappali, particle astrophysicist and BFF to Leonard.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
-
By our nature, we journalists are anxious to report fresh news, including the outcomes of elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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That has sent maritime insurance rates through the roof and given some financiers and shipping companies cold feet about tempting fate and navigating through the troubled waters.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Martin created and stars in the Netflix series Wayward, the thriller-drama revolving around the inner workings and dark secrets of a fictional school for troubled teenagers.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
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Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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According to witnesses interviewed by local police, Hall became agitated after taking a significant quantity of drugs.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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That was intentional, as a smiling Caballero admitted to enjoying the moment after the warning left him perplexed and agitated.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Fantasy managers were nervous about investing in Brown due to possible rotation but one per cent of them were rewarded with a goal, an assist and the scouting bonus.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Hundreds of thousands of fans, sitting in bars throughout the city, watched televisions in nervous silence.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even those who are apprehensive about sardines should give this salad a try.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 June 2026
-
Haymon was much less apprehensive of expressing her opinions, particularly her preference for Gascon’s policies.—
Rafael Perez,
Daily News,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Greg Wood carry themselves with peevish authority as the Butley, oozing entitlement.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretful. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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