as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope
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Recent Examples of fraying
The fraying ties prompted Islamabad to return almost three million Afghan nationals in recent months, straining Kabul’s scant resources.
—
semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
The finest pitching prospect since Ubaldo Jimenez became undone, fraying at the seams as part of a rotation that should be buried underneath the batting cages at Salt River Fields and never be spoken of again.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
The show is mostly known in the States for launching the career of Rachel McAdams, but it can’t be understated how incredible Goss, playing the festival’s temperamental artistic director, is in it, a fraying bundle of nerves and passion that threatens to collapse on himself at any moment.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
On a recent walk around Manhattan, for instance, Hadid paired blue jeans with a raw, fraying hem with classic loafers, a perfect combination of hippie and preppy.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fraying
semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
The finest pitching prospect since Ubaldo Jimenez became undone, fraying at the seams as part of a rotation that should be buried underneath the batting cages at Salt River Fields and never be spoken of again.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
The show is mostly known in the States for launching the career of Rachel McAdams, but it can’t be understated how incredible Goss, playing the festival’s temperamental artistic director, is in it, a fraying bundle of nerves and passion that threatens to collapse on himself at any moment.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
On a recent walk around Manhattan, for instance, Hadid paired blue jeans with a raw, fraying hem with classic loafers, a perfect combination of hippie and preppy.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fraying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fraying
Verb
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Because of that, Moody’s has taken a number of downward ratings actions against producers, because the oversupply eats away at margins and the capacity to pay debt is eroding.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
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Rampant corruption is eroding voter confidence in Argentina and Mexico, whose leaders ran on anti-graft campaigns.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other tips include riding defensively around cars, using front and rear lights, wearing reflective vests in the dark, and avoiding biking under the influence of drugs or alcohol.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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Not if the other team comes out wearing Dallas sweaters.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fraying. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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