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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of frets
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
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Instead of asking if Kyle is okay, Fraser frets that her husband paid the tip.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Every generation finds new ways to parent, and every generation frets about it.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Instead of asking if Kyle is okay, Fraser frets that her husband paid the tip.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frets
Verb
-
As the theatrical window erodes, so will these downstream markets.—
Joseph M. Singer,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
-
When fiscal discipline erodes, the burden falls on the very people government is meant to serve.—
Carol Platt Liebau,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These pants offer a flattering fit for anyone who wears them, thanks to their high waist and streamlined hips that softly contour to the body.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Williams then instinctively delivered the prototypical football celebration – a headbutt – but completely forgot that his head coach no longer wears a helmet.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reyes worries the winter storm gripping North Texas will have serious consequences for her finances.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Isabel worries about a golf ball hitting her amid the customers’ wild swings.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There’s another distinctly New York habit that irritates Manville — at the end of the performances, theatergoers leap to their feat, not just to applaud, but to whip out their cellphones to record the curtain call.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Somehow, this irritates Helen even more.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There’s the direct cost of the raises, but also the related growth of the city’s pension shortfall, which increasingly eats further into the budget, as reported by the U-T’s Garrick.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
But no need to call in the food critics this year—the Golden Globes eats seemed to pass the taste test.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This particular aspect of the show frays the gripping tone that had been so masterfully crafted from its opening scene.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, beautiful and successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Upon inspection one evening, the father discovered scratches all over the bottom of the pair.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
-
And even though All the Little Houses is set in the ’80s, complete with Laura Ashley dresses and Jazzercise references, the novel scratches a thoroughly modern itch for real access to the inner lives of the kinds of alpha women who swarm our social media feeds.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
As much as Payton bristles about media storylines and huffs about tempo questions, the Broncos went 25 minutes without a first down against Las Vegas.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frets. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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