frazzling

verb

present participle of frazzle
1
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction years of use have frazzled the cord for the window blinds to the breaking point

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in exhausting
to use up all the physical energy of trying to hold down two full-time jobs had completely frazzled him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in distracting
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy an endless series of dietary warnings that had served only to frazzle the general public

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of frazzling Instead of allowing for greater focus, the latest AI tools are overwhelming workers, frazzling minds and shredding attention spans. — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frazzling
  1. eroding
  2. exhausting
  3. distracting
  4. fraying
  5. tiring
  6. disturbing
  7. wearing
  8. killing
Verb
  • By the late 1500s, the once vigorous Ming was severely eroding.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That unease is eroding faith in political leaders and fueling calls for upheaval across the spectrum, from young conservatives to students backing progressive challengers in Michigan.
    — Jacqueline Ganun, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of eroding
Verb
  • The gentle squeeze around your legs provides other surprising health benefits on exhausting travel days.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Commanders should seek positional advantages without exhausting their soldiers, manipulate the enemy’s movements when possible, and recognize when circumstances make pursuit or attack unwise.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The text was crisp and easy to read, the matte display minimized distracting reflections, and the ink paper mode made reading comfortable.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • By the late 1960s, confidence in technological progress was fraying.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • At a time when the social safety net is fraying and affordability is a midterm-election mantra, churches are stepping into the void.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraying
Verb
  • In the Los Angeles Times, Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon report that Steyer’s ability to appear everywhere ended up tiring out voters.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
  • Meanwhile, Shenzhen startup EngineAI can be forgiven for tiring out its PM01 humanoid.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 June 2026
Definition of tiring
Verb
  • If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • By mimicking the oarfish’s fluid control, Shepherd’s team aims to construct large, silent robotic monitors capable of observing fragile ocean ecosystems without ever disturbing the wildlife inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • Around me were fellow guests wearing Fendi headscarves and puffy Prada vests — none yet of the business travellers checking in with expense accounts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of protesters, many of them young, dressed in black and wearing masks, threw rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, before setting several fires, one to a pile of city bikes and electric scooters.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of wearing
Verb
  • In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins.
    — Glenn Thrush Eric Schmitt Liam Stack Tim Balk, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lack of preparation Eight weeks after the UAE withdrawal, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of killing

Browse Nearby Words

frazzles
frazzling
freak
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frazzling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frazzling. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All