fettle

noun

fet·​tle ˈfe-tᵊl How to pronounce fettle (audio)
Synonyms of fettlenext
: state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form
often used in the phrase in fine fettle
I proved to her I was in fine fettle by consuming a herculean portion of eggs scrambled with onions and smoked salmon.Lawrence Sanders
He stopped practicing or even warming up before tournament rounds in order to spare strain on the risky hip. His golf game was nonetheless in fine fettle—provided he could keep swinging.Alfred Wright

Examples of fettle in a Sentence

a visit to the relatives on the other side of the state revealed them all to be in fine fettle
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By all accounts, Forever Young has looked in fine fettle over the last six weeks. Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026 On the whole, the economy during this period was in fine fettle. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026 Danny Musovski has been in fine fettle up front for Seattle this season and has 12 goals in 32 games for Wednesday's hosts. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025 Canada looked in fine fettle and are well on their way to the knockouts. Phil Hay, New York Times, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fettle

Word History

Etymology
First Known Use

1740, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fettle was in 1740

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fettle. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

fettle

noun
fet·​tle
ˈfet-ᵊl
: a state of fitness or order : condition
in fine fettle
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster