Synonyms of frets

frets 1 of 2

noun

plural of fret

as in panics

a state of nervous or irritated concern

one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• panics
• fusses
• huffs
• sweats
• dithers
• twitters
• tizzies
• swelters
• flusters
• lathers
• pothers
• stews
• swivets
• alarms
• agitations
• piques
• dudgeons
• hysterias
• deliriums
• furors
• hand-wringings
• nervous breakdowns
• distractions
• ados
• bothers
• uproars

frets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fret

1

as in erodes

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 & Similar Words

• erodes
• eats
• corrodes
• gnaws
• bites (at)
• destroys
• decomposes
• nibbles
• disintegrates
• dissolves
• ruins
• wastes
• wrecks
• breaks down
• breaks up
• decimates
• devastates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restores
• revives
• recreates
• regenerates
• renews
• refreshes
• rejuvenates
• freshens
• revitalizes
• refreshens

2

as in wears

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 & Similar Words

• wears
• erodes
• frays
• rubs
• chafes
• abrades
• reduces
• shaves
• scrapes
• rasps
• erases
• bites
• eats
• galls
• sharpens
• corrades
• files
• frazzles
• gnaws
• scuffs
• grates
• sandpapers
• scours
• chews
• corrodes
• grazes
• disintegrates
• sandblasts
• decomposes
• nibbles
• wears out
• grinds
• dissolves
• wipes (away)
• whets
• hones
• rubs out
• breaks up
• breaks down

3

as in worries

to experience concern or anxiety

don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worries
• fears
• stresses
• troubles
• fusses
• bothers
• stews
• sweats
• agonizes
• sweats blood
• longs
• gives a hang
• pines
• yearns
• despairs
• chafes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepts
• takes
• sustains
• tolerates
• endures
• bears
• sticks out
• abides
• stomachs

4

as in irritates

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 & Similar Words

• irritates
• scratches
• scrapes
• excoriates
• chafes
• galls
• abrades
• burns
• grazes
• peels
• inflames
• skins
• flays

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frets

Noun

This mandolin is quite different from my flat-back, the strings closer together, the arm shorter, the frets more tightly spaced. —Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026

But through music, Thundercat has been able to funnel his emotions into frets and harness his natural singing prowess. —Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2026

The car, a 1970 Cadillac Eldorado that was modified to include strings and frets, was driven once by Elvis Presley during a concert in Las Vegas. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026

Yet Stastny frets about the electronic future. —Michael Weissenstein, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025

At the time, Gibson, the guitar company, had a high-end outlet at the adjacent Opry Mills Mall, and Hull stopped in with her father to get some new frets on her mandolin. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025

But the good-neighbor vibe is starting to sour as Colombia frets about river access. —John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025

As Kirk frets about commanding a hybrid Farragut–Enterprise (but mostly Enterprise) crew, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and Chapel arrive with an assessment of the situation. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025

Verb

Baelor’s brother, Maekar — who actually delivered the killing blow — also frets over how Duncan has changed the course of history. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026

Every generation finds new ways to parent, and every generation frets about it. —Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025