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fret

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of fret

1 to consume or wear away gradually

  • over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel
Synonyms of fret

bite (at), corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, nibble
Words Related to fret

break down, break up, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve

decimate, destroy, devastate, ruin, waste, wreck
Near Antonyms of fret

freshen, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive

2 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
Synonyms of fret

abrade, chafe, corrade, erode, fray, frazzle, gall, rasp, rub, wear
Words Related to fret

file, gnaw, grate, graze, grind, nibble, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scuff, shave

erase, reduce, rub out, wear out, wipe (away)

bite, break down, break up, chew, corrode, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, eat

hone, sharpen, whet

3 to experience concern or anxiety

  • don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as thereʼs nothing we can do about it
Synonyms of fret

bother, fear, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry
Words Related to fret

agonize

long, pine, yearn

chafe

despair
Phrases Synonymous with fret

give a hang (or care a hang), sweat blood
Near Antonyms of fret

accept

abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

4 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
Synonyms of fret

abrade, chafe, excoriate, gall, irritate
Words Related to fret

graze, scrape, scratch

burn, inflame (also enflame)

flay, peel, skin

fret

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of fret

a state of nervous or irritated concern

  • one of my customers always gets into a fret if Iʼm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper
Synonyms of fret

dither, fluster, fuss, huff, lather, pother, stew, sweat, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitter
Words Related to fret

bother, dudgeon, pique

alarm (also alarum), hand-wringing, panic

ado, agitation, delirium, distraction, furor, hysteria, uproar

nervous breakdown

Learn More about fret

  1. See words that rhyme with fret Dictionary: Definition of fret Spanish Central: Translation of fret Nglish: Translation of fret for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fret for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fret

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