1
as in eroded
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wore
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 worried
to experience concern or anxiety
don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fretted
Generations of workers have fretted about the future of Social Security, the retirement trust fund.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
For months, Wall Street commentators have fretted that the artificial intelligence boom looks like a bubble, with capital spending – which some analysts estimate could reach $3 trillion by 2028 – fattening a few mega-cap firms, while lower-income workers suffer from a slack labor market.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Even environmentalists like Al Gore who once fretted about catastrophic accidents and radioactive waste are warming to the technology.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Physicians and engineers alike fretted about the high stakes if a system malfunctioned.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Coen himself fretted a little over some of the script’s more outrageous moments.
—Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
For months, Wall Street commentators have fretted that the artificial intelligence boom looks like a bubble, with capital spending – which some analysts estimate could reach $3 trillion by 2028 – fattening a few mega-cap firms, while lower-income workers suffer from a slack labor market.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's particularly telling is that while Cain fretted about the new movie's immigrant themes possibly hurting domestic box office, Superman has actually performed well domestically but struggled internationally.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
After that loss, OpenAI appears to have pivoted and is now doing everything in its power to limit the number of logs accessed in the case—short of settling—as its customers fretted over serious privacy concerns.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fretted
Verb
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In particular, the city’s stormwater system is failing as pipes have eroded and caused sinkholes to pop up in some parts of the city.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But the Court’s authority itself has been eroded by years of partisan battles.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As for accessories, Obama wore a pair of white, firework-like earrings from the Chanel collection as well.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
At the game, Swift wore head-to-toe Chiefs red, including a $550 Courrèges sweater and matching $650 Courrèges skirt.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And the company’s rich valuation has stoked skepticism among some investors worried about an AI bubble.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Heading into last offseason, the Guardians worried about the state of their starting pitching.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But those movements further irritated a rib injury that Hendrix first sustained during Wicked night.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The decision by Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, to go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga, irritated some with the organization, according to league sources.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
While neither is an effective big league pitcher at this point, those moves ate into the Yankees’ limited rotation depth.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Four years later, Afghanistan has faded from headlines and those lifelines have frayed.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Over time, the relationship frayed.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
He was scratched up all over the place.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Nothing really scratched the itch.—
Michal Lev-Ram, CNBC Contributor,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes, Nat told me, Christian had rubbed some of the estrogen jelly into his skin.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Her words rubbed viewers and other contestants the wrong way, prompting a spat with fellow contestant Debbie.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fretted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fretted. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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