FRET Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

fret 1 of 2

verb

ˈfret

as in to erode

to consume or wear away gradually over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel

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as in to wear

to damage or diminish by continued friction don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him

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as in to worry

to experience concern or anxiety don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it

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as in to irritate

to make sore by continued rubbing the stiff, starchy collar was fretting my neck, and I couldn't wait to change out of that costume

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fret

2 of 2

noun

as in panic

a state of nervous or irritated concern one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of fret

Verb

For months, Democrats publicly fretted that the fractured field of candidates could lead to a Republican-on-Republican runoff, locking the party out of the governor’s mansion for the first time in two decades. —

Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026 Don’t fret about the champagne-glass neck. —

Sandra Cisneros, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 If your summer wardrobe is feeling a bit boring or outdated, don’t fret — Amazon just added tons of new styles to its sale section, and my top picks are all going for $10 or less. —

Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 In his encyclical, Leo fretted about multiple ongoing wars, lamented the decline of multilateral coalitions and blasted arms industry profits as driving the conflicts. —

Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for fret

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fret

Verb

As the rocks eroded and wore away into their iconic shapes, Native people hunted, gathered and farmed beside them.

— Alia Beard Rau, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Latest earnings from global luxury brands, such as Ralph Lauren and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, indicated recovering appetite for high-end beauty and fashion products in a market plagued by margin-eroding discounts in recent years.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 June 2026