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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of frets
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Retail businesses celebrate While the central bank frets, some businesses are already preparing for these workers to spend their windfalls at their stores.
—
Lim Hui Jie,blair Baek,
CNBC,
20 June 2026
There’s only six strings and what, 20 frets?
—
Charles Moss,
SPIN,
9 June 2026
The height of the frets directly determines action.
—
New Atlas,
18 May 2026
Naturally, Elsa frets over the situation, but their parents, preoccupied with their own divorced lives, reckon otherwise.
—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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
Melbourne cafe owner Michael Hannah looks over the half-empty lunchtime tables and frets how much worse things will be when the state government enshrines a world-first right to work-from-home later this year.
—
Joe Flynn,
Bloomberg,
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
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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
Noun
The Nasdaq Composite Index has slipped nearly 3% this week as Wall Street frets over whether the trillions of dollars going into artificial intelligence will deliver the revenue and profit growth needed to justify that exorbitant cost.
—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Retail businesses celebrate While the central bank frets, some businesses are already preparing for these workers to spend their windfalls at their stores.
—
Lim Hui Jie,blair Baek,
CNBC,
20 June 2026
There’s only six strings and what, 20 frets?
—
Charles Moss,
SPIN,
9 June 2026
The height of the frets directly determines action.
—
New Atlas,
18 May 2026
Naturally, Elsa frets over the situation, but their parents, preoccupied with their own divorced lives, reckon otherwise.
—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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
Melbourne cafe owner Michael Hannah looks over the half-empty lunchtime tables and frets how much worse things will be when the state government enshrines a world-first right to work-from-home later this year.
—
Joe Flynn,
Bloomberg,
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
Verb
Kate, for her part, frets that her grieving husband is lacking male companionship.
—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frets
Noun
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.
-
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.
Verb
-
The best exits often happen while the story is still strong, before defensive thinking erodes momentum, talent and valuation.
-
This undermines financial stability, erodes reserves intended for true emergencies, and increases the likelihood of necessary cuts or emergency measures in the future.
Verb
-
Ellinger isn’t the only one who wears Costco on his sleeve.
-
Bonner, a third-year veteran who has worked his way up the roster as a former undrafted player, has a reputation as one of Miami’s five fastest players, consistently clocking one of the team’s top three speeds in practice based on the team’s tracker every player wears.
Verb
-
That question is exactly what worries the people who keep it alive.
-
What worries me most isn’t that AI will become smarter than humans.
Verb
-
If someone is in your life long enough, they’re bound to do something that irritates you—and you’re bound to do something that irritates them.
-
Elsa’s inquisitive presence almost instantly irritates Amalia, as the latter refuses to simply acquiesce to her relentless quizzing.
Noun
-
Amazon has so many chic summer matching sets that go beyond cozy slouchy sweats.
-
Leggings, sweats, or anything with a stretchy waistline aren't just leisure staples—they're beacons of comfort and emotional support.
Verb
-
But discovering neighborhood gems remains central to how Vetri eats in his own city.
-
If a person eats undercooked meat containing cysticerci, the larvae will develop into adult tapeworms in the person’s intestinal tract and live there, possibly for years.
Verb
-
Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves.
-
The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings.
Cite this Entry
“Frets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frets. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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