as in irritable
tending towards or characterized by agitation or irritability
They finally lulled the fretful baby to sleep. I kept having fretful thoughts about what would happen if we couldn't pay our bills.
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Recent Examples of fretful
Too many young people are anxious, fretful and socially isolated.
—
Sarah Lent, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
At the very least, Washington sought to assure the fretful Parsons that all was not yet lost.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
Now, for many in the business world, that question feels almost passé, part of an earlier, more fretful era of narratives.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
As Queenie, navigating empty relationships and professional disappointments on a journey from self-sabotage to self-worth, Brown makes a whole person from a variety of attitudes — hopeful, hopeless, hungover, exuberant, fretful, thoughtful.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Sarah Lent, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
At the very least, Washington sought to assure the fretful Parsons that all was not yet lost.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
Now, for many in the business world, that question feels almost passé, part of an earlier, more fretful era of narratives.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
As Queenie, navigating empty relationships and professional disappointments on a journey from self-sabotage to self-worth, Brown makes a whole person from a variety of attitudes — hopeful, hopeless, hungover, exuberant, fretful, thoughtful.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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But a new wrench is thrown into the works in the form of an irritable downstairs neighbor.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 June 2025
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And getting swept at home by a losing club, the Miami Marlins, would make anyone a tad irritable and hypersensitive.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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But perhaps the most persuasive testimony came from Mrs. Hall herself, who embodied the defense’s portrait of a loyal, unsuspecting wife, home alone and anxious over her husband’s mysterious disappearance.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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Other dogs, especially those that are anxious or suffer from separation anxiety, might find comfort in your scent.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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In the upcoming ninth season of Rehab Addict, which premieres on June 24, Curtis restores both that Wyoming home and a troubled Detroit property that had been invaded by squatters.—
Erin Clements,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Sue has had her own troubled relationship and substance abuse issues.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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When officers arrived, Jones allegedly became more agitated and combative.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
24 June 2025
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Diana, the most glamorous and beautiful, married the Guinness brewery heir, had three children and then in a notorious scandal left her husband for Oswald Mosley, a notorious womanizer and fascist leader whose Black Shirts violently agitated for Nazi Germany as Britain prepared for war.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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As Republicans work to pass President Donald Trump's reconciliation bill by his July 4 deadline, many are worried about the changes that could be coming to Medicaid.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
30 June 2025
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But even in a Congress filled with newcomers, the memory of 2018 (and its electoral fallout for a beleaguered GOP) should be fresh enough to keep people worried.—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Watching his son evolve from a 4-star recruit out of Columbus High School in Miami to an eventual first-round pick out of Michigan State, Richardson doesn’t get too nervous or overly excited when Jase is on the court.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 June 2025
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But with Wirtz, there was suddenly an effort not to do that; the media got nervous about calling it a record.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Some were apprehensive about living far from their longtime partner in crime.—
Philip Marcelo,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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But those who have been around since the beginning might be extra apprehensive until the prize is sealed.—
Anthony Slater,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Thousands of people — displaced by disaster, their past lives gone up in smoke — are hostage to the whims of a peevish president who always puts his feelings first and cares nothing for the greater good.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2025
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On a less peevish note: The entry is making its New York Times Crossword debut.—
Sam Corbin,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretful. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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