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
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
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
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
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
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
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.—
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
Verb
-
Clarity builds trust; ambiguity erodes it.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
People leave, culture erodes, the playbook changes faster than management can rewrite it, and so the edge slips to newcomers.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Farrell, who also narrates in a soft voice, often wears a look of shy incomprehension, as if a beat behind in translating the world around him, a stranger in a strange land.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Non-inverter ACs feature simpler parts that are cheaper and easier to fix, but the stop-start cycle wears the mechanical parts out faster, so these air conditioners are more prone to frequent repairs and tend to have a shorter lifespan.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Eftekhari worries that the mood at Iran’s first match, where fans and protesters clashed, affected the players.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
Iran’s president worries about street protests Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed concern that some Iranians could openly protest again.—
Victoria Eastwood,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
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.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
-
Elsa’s inquisitive presence almost instantly irritates Amalia, as the latter refuses to simply acquiesce to her relentless quizzing.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The only thing better than sweats?—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
-
Then there’s the sportswear component with polos, sweaters, sport shirts, hoodies and sweats.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Because no one really eats onscreen anymore.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
-
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack the small intestine when a person eats gluten.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
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.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
-
The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings.—
William Garriott,
The Conversation,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frets. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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