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
Suddenly the Toronto crowd’s sound turned from festive to fretful.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
Long wait times became a self-fulfilling prophecy In recent weeks, news of the turmoil at Social Security mobilized fretful Americans to telephone or visit the agency, seeding further chaos.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 May 2025
At the very least, Washington sought to assure the fretful Parsons that all was not yet lost.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
Too many young people are anxious, fretful and socially isolated.
—Sarah Lent, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
Long wait times became a self-fulfilling prophecy In recent weeks, news of the turmoil at Social Security mobilized fretful Americans to telephone or visit the agency, seeding further chaos.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 May 2025
At the very least, Washington sought to assure the fretful Parsons that all was not yet lost.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
Too many young people are anxious, fretful and socially isolated.
—Sarah Lent, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretful
Adjective
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However, such symptoms are hard to attribute to vaccines because infants can be irritable or fussy regardless of vaccination.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
19 Sep. 2025
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When the caffeine wears off, children may have a headache and feel irritable or tired.—
Dr. Mark Corkins,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the cold and austere German winter (a far cry from Dakar’s physical and cultural warmth), an anxious Nourou acts up outside a hotel and is accosted by a Polish security guard, setting off a minor chain reaction in which Maja intervenes on his behalf, much to his chagrin.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
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Right now, CEOs are both bullish and anxious.—
Mike Hoffman,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His talent for expressing a volatile vulnerability and grit saw him through performances as troubled tough guys in Where the Crawdads Sing and The Iron Claw.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
2 Oct. 2025
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Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The following year, he was arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after becoming agitated when he was told to leave a suburban Las Vegas casino.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Remember how agitated Laura got when Daniel scraped his knee mountain biking?—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The man, a legal researcher who lives legally in the United States, is worried he might be targeted by the federal government for speaking freely.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
As the day progressed though, Marsh became worried again.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Now, Darvish will get to pitch in front of a stadium of screaming, hopeful, nervous Cubs fans.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
If presidents are stars on the stage of world history, vice presidents are nervous understudies hidden away behind the scenes.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Democratic nominee for mayor also gave a speech at an African Methodist church, an effort to bridge the gap with apprehensive Black voters.—
Amie Parnes,
The Hill,
1 Oct. 2025
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Legacy system complexities can be underestimated, users can feel apprehensive about new workflows or tools, and communication breakdowns can lead to insufficient stakeholder updates and collaboration.—
Devang Pandya,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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 6 Oct. 2025.
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