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
Despite the fretful retreat staged by most House Democrats, preliminary polling shows significant public support for Trump’s impeachment.
—
Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Surf camp instructors noted that authorities have said the waters in Santa Monica Bay and elsewhere are safe, but some parents remain fretful.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Performance Jones prods the start button and the four-cylinder power plant coughs grumpily into life, then settles to a fretful idle.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 28 May 2025
Suddenly the Toronto crowd’s sound turned from festive to fretful.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Surf camp instructors noted that authorities have said the waters in Santa Monica Bay and elsewhere are safe, but some parents remain fretful.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Performance Jones prods the start button and the four-cylinder power plant coughs grumpily into life, then settles to a fretful idle.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 28 May 2025
Suddenly the Toronto crowd’s sound turned from festive to fretful.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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Lack of sleep can lead to a range of problems, including feeling more irritable.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
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On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some anxious Republicans have urged him to show more public displays of empathy.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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And things got as anxious as a guy on a first date with the prettiest girl in school.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Still, the Bahamian trade route, which began picking up steam in the early months of 2025, has become a key piece of California’s troubled supply chain.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Still, the Bahamian trade route, which began picking up steam in the early months of 2025, has become a key piece of California’s troubled supply chain.—
Will Kubzansky,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While the consequences of skipping routine medical care may not always be immediate, Muthyala said providers are worried about the downstream impact all of this will have on the health of the community.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Some were worried about not competing for championships because of being out of the WPIAL.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Funk’s reassurances was enough to quell the agitated crowd.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Our divisions are constantly nudged, magnified, monetized, and weaponized by systems that profit from keeping us emotionally engaged and perpetually agitated.—
Joe Palaggi,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Given the snowy conditions and fatigue levels, these are nervous moments for the athletes, with mere seconds separating winning from losing.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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Hollywood version The team may have been extra nervous given that the previous high-profile adaptation of The House of the Spirits was a 1993 movie in English starring Hollywood actors like Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Others remain apprehensive about the ongoing therapies and medications that will continue to change their quality of life, coupled with the anxiety of the cancer returning.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
18 Feb. 2026
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Her husband is equally apprehensive but also optimistic.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While grunge seemed peevish, grim, defeatist, and dour—and extended the kind of us-vs.-them culture most famously centered by the indie rock of the ’80s and ’90s, Oasis was celebratory, communal, and democratic while exploring themes of alienation, escape, and fantasies of triumph.—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
28 July 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Fretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretful. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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