Synonyms of frays

frays 1 of 2

noun

plural of fray

1

as in fights

a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective

another generation of scientists entered the fray to find a cure for AIDS

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fights
• struggles
• battles
• efforts
• throes
• works
• scrabbles
• pains
• attempts
• toils
• tries
• exertions
• troubles
• grinds
• endeavors
• sweats
• wars
• tussles
• conflicts
• combats
• strifes
• travails
• drudgeries
• labors
• contests
• warfares
• essays

2

as in clashes

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

a troubled youth always getting into frays at school

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clashes
• skirmishes
• fights
• battles
• struggles
• tussles
• scuffles
• dustups
• conflicts
• brawls
• combats
• fracases
• altercations
• scraps
• contests
• confrontations
• scrimmages
• blows
• quarrels
• tangles
• duels
• disputes
• hassles
• broils
• scrums
• affrays
• squabbles
• wrangles
• fistfights
• melees
• pitched battles
• fisticuffs
• jousts
• spats
• disagreements
• ructions
• mix-ups
• ruckuses
• controversies
• donnybrooks
• slugfests
• grapples
• misunderstandings
• battles royal
• rows
• punch-outs
• punch-ups
• contretemps
• tiffs
• rough-and-tumbles
• fallings-out
• catfights
• free-for-alls
• arguments
• handgrips
• cross fires
• kickups
• face-offs
• argle-bargles
• argy-bargies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truces

3

as in brawls

a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people

school officials broke up the fray and gave all guilty parties detention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brawls
• clashes
• broils
• altercations
• affrays
• skirmishes
• melees
• fracases
• ructions
• tussles
• rows
• scuffles
• ruckuses
• donnybrooks
• rough-and-tumbles
• disputes
• free-for-alls
• fisticuffs
• squabbles
• quarrels
• conflicts
• battles
• struggles
• wrangles
• combats
• scraps
• arguments
• scrimmages
• spats
• contests
• hassles
• tiffs
• handgrips
• horseplays
• kickups

frays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fray

as in erodes

to damage or diminish by continued friction

constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope

Synonyms & Similar Words

• erodes
• wears
• rubs
• chafes
• abrades
• reduces
• scrapes
• erases
• frets
• sharpens
• gnaws
• bites
• shaves
• galls
• frazzles
• eats
• rasps
• corrades
• disintegrates
• corrodes
• grazes
• scuffs
• files
• scours
• decomposes
• chews
• grates
• dissolves
• wears out
• grinds
• nibbles
• sandpapers
• sandblasts
• whets
• wipes (away)
• hones
• rubs out
• breaks down
• breaks up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frays

Noun

Opt for a dark wash without rips and frays to keep the look streamlined, but don't be afraid to play with proportions and have fun with patterns and texture. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2026

The viral label also showed shrunken jackets and pleated skirts with exaggerated frays and cuffs, and chopped wide-leg jeans. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

This black-pink yin-and-yang frays as time together reveals the depths of each character’s dysfunctions, and their camaraderie veers into codependence. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026

Japan is, meantime, growing and modernizing its military at pace not seen in modern times as the post-Cold War stability ensured by the US military frays. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Philanthropy has always been judged less by intention than by outcome — and today, as public trust in institutions frays, that scrutiny has never been sharper. — James Chen, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026

Bernstein plays with that distance like a telephone cord wrapped around her fingers, and Eleni — played by the excellent newcomer Cemre Paksoy, powerfully helpless — only frays even more as the receiver is brought near the hook. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 July 2026

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon kill at least 16 people as a new ceasefire with Hezbollah frays. — Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026

When that web frays, ecosystems lose their ability to store carbon and produce food, water, and oxygen, while withstanding climate stress. — Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026

Verb

Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026

The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings. — William Garriott, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026

This particular aspect of the show frays the gripping tone that had been so masterfully crafted from its opening scene. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025