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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Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If you are rushed or irritable, say so.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Maddie is talented, warm, funny and kind but also anxious, plagued with low self-esteem cultivated by a traumatic childhood.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The other may be unsure, though not opposed, but anxious about leaving family and community.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, other corporations have been down a similarly troubled road in recent years.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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The filing is known in Italy as a CNC, and offers troubled companies the time and space to restructure, and chart a path forward.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
As officers tried to determine if he was connected to the disturbance, Cusick allegedly became agitated and produced a firearm, Depue said earlier.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
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The phenomenon is caused by a chemical reaction the algae produce when they are agitated or disturbed — if they are grabbed by a predator, for example, or experience a surge of movement from a wave or swimmer.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
People should be joyful, not worried.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
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He’s not focused on the economy, which most Americans are worried about.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Against Świątek, in two nervous moments, one of them on match point, net cords had given her safe harbor.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The district’s disparate parts would be connected largely by two-lane highways cutting through steep slopes of places such as the Modoc National Forest, where nervous drivers must beware of a lack of guardrails.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Auggie appeared apprehensive at first and didn't quite know what to do with the bed.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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His top striker, Harry Kane, offered a slightly more apprehensive view, however.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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 10 Sep. 2025.
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